Leading the Charge is a regular feature spotlighting the movers and shakers in energy development on tribal lands. This issue we had the opportunity to speak with long-time Indian energy champion Doug MacCourt, who joined the DOE Office of Indian Energy as Senior Policy Advisor in July 2015.

MacCourt has more than 25 years of experience working with tribes, Alaska Native corporations, and tribal business enterprises on all aspects of energy development and natural resources matters. He advises the Office director and staff and works throughout DOE and with other federal and state agencies on policy, legislative, and funding issues that are critical to the Office’s mission of maximizing the development and deployment of energy solutions for the benefit of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

MacCourt studied Indian law in law school and had an “early interest in energy” that put him on the path to working with tribes on their energy issues. Even with more than 25 years of experience, MacCourt is still learning new things and sees new opportunities for tribes every day.

“I’m actually very optimistic about the future,” said MacCourt. “One of the key things we need to make sure happens is that we continue to be able to access the [DOE technical, information, and financial] resources at the federal level and convince our members of Congress that this [tribal energy development] is a worthwhile endeavor.”

MacCourt said he doesn’t think it should be that hard to show the value tribal energy development brings not only to tribal communities, but also to the nation. “Tribes can serve the renewable energy needs and much of the total energy needs of this country if they can actually participate in the market.”

While alluding to the enormous energy generation potential in Indian Country, MacCourt acknowledged that tribes have numerous barriers to overcome before successfully developing their renewable energy resources. One of those, he said, is how tribal lands are managed.

“We still need to look at how Indian lands are managed between federal and tribal governments so that we can figure out how we can work better together and leverage other types of benefits besides those brought by energy development,” said MacCourt. “Benefits like job creation and having new partners with new ideas to put in the market.”

Watch this video interview with MacCourt to learn more about his background and the opportunities he sees for developing energy on Indian lands.