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Tribal Advocacy Council on Energy

TACE fact sheet

Resolution by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council in support of legislation to establish TACE.

History of the Tribal Advocacy Council on Energy

A Tribal Advocacy Council on Energy (TACE) was put forward by Tribal Elected Leadership in Tribal Consultation with the Minnesota Department of Commerce in 2019. Commerce Tribal Liaison worked with individuals from our Tribal Nations to support submitting legislation to the Minnesota Legislature that gave Commerce permission to provide administrative and development support to establish TACE, similar to an Advocacy Council on Tribal Transportation (ACTT) at the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The Legislature passed the bill and also provided $300,000 in funding to support start-up efforts for TACE.

Formally establishing TACE

In May 2023, Jackie Dionne became Tribal Liaison for the Commerce Department and undertook an effort to begin establishing TACE with individuals who volunteered to be on a TACE work group from our Tribal Nations. The first TACE work group was established in January 2024. It met January 31, 2024, and had seven subsequent meetings.

The TAC workgroup was charged with establishment of four activities:

  • To develop a TACE governance structure/ document
  • To develop and gather input for a TACE Tribal Liaison for administrative support
  • To seek out a Tribal Resolution/ Tribal Appointment Letter from their respective Tribal Nations, that formally appoints a primary and alternate to formally establish the TACE
  • To provide input and feedback on newly established Commerce Department Division of Energy Resources energy projects and to start a conversation on a proposed Tribal Energy Forum for Tribes in Minnesota

The TACE work group has completed these activities to formally establish a TACE, and will discontinue as a work group as the formally established TACE begins meeting in October 2024, with quarterly full-day meetings in 2025. A Tribal Energy Liaison will join the Commerce Department in later 2024 and support TACE.

Tribal Advocacy

TACE is not a "state established" council. It is established as a "Tribal Nations" advocacy council. The mission of TACE is committed to bringing forward recommendations for improving Tribal energy on Reservations, Adjacent Territories, and Ceded Territories through meaningful consultation, effective collaboration, partnerships, policies, and legislation.

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