06/17/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/17/2025 08:31
This working paper presents the results of a multiyear collaboration with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe-a major natural gas-producing Tribal Nation that relies heavily on fossil fuel extraction and related infrastructure-to support a just economic and energy transition.
Date
June 17, 2025
Authors
Daniel Raimi, Brian C. Prest, and Alexandra Thompson
Publication
Working PaperReading time
1 minuteThis paper presents the results of a multi-year collaborative research project between the authors, several other researchers, and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, a natural gas-producing Tribe whose Reservation sits near the "Four Corners" region of southwestern Colorado. In this collaboration, we worked with the Tribe to inform their decision-making about future energy development by producing multiple scenarios depicting the potential for natural gas, wind, and solar development on their Reservation. We find that natural gas production on the Reservation-absent the development of new shale formations-declines under all scenarios through 2050, as do associated Tribal revenues. We also find that solar-but not wind-development may be economically viable on parts of the Reservation. Along with these quantitative results, we believe that our collaborative research approach may serve as a model for other scholars who wish to work with Tribal nations within the United States as they seek to ensure their sovereignty in a changing energy landscape.
PDF - 12.1 MB
Daniel Raimi
Fellow; Director, Equity in the Energy Transition Initiative
Daniel Raimi is a fellow and director of the Equity in the Energy Transition Initiative at RFF. He works on a range of energy policy issues with a focus on tools to enable an equitable energy transition.
Brian C. Prest
Fellow; Director, Social Cost of Carbon Initiative
Brian Prest is an economist and fellow at Resources for the Future specializing in climate change, oil and gas, and energy economics.
Alexandra Thompson
Senior Research Associate and GIS Research Coordinator
Alexandra Thompson is a Senior Research Associate and the GIS Coordinator at RFF and an expert on using spatial data to address environmental and socioeconomic challenges.
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