By Ruth Callahan
WASHINGTON — The Seneca Nation’s effort to run its own natural gas system on the Cattaraugus Territory has won a spot in the largest round of tribal energy funding in the U.S. Department of Energy’s history.
The department announced on Oct. 22 that it selected 63 tribe-led projects across 16 states, totaling more than $125 million, for award negotiations. According to DOE’s list of selected applications, the Seneca Nation of Indians asked for $6,712,873 toward a $7,458,865 project titled “Natural Gas Distribution Expansion — Seneca Nation — Cattaraugus Territory,” listed in Salamanca.
That makes it the seventh-largest federal request among the 63 selections, by The Buffalo Chronicle’s tally of the list. The largest requests were $7.5 million.
A second New York nation was also picked. The Oneida Indian Nation requested $1,076,350 for a feasibility and concept study to expand its cogeneration plant in Oneida, according to the same document.
A record round for tribal energy
In its announcement, DOE said the selections span 61 tribal entities and represent the largest single investment in the history of its Office of Indian Energy. Thirteen projects focus on building community-scale energy systems. DOE said those projects will bring electricity to 150 tribal homes that lack it and convert 500 homes and businesses to natural gas heat. The other 50 projects cover planning, predevelopment and feasibility work.
“President Trump has prioritized delivering affordable, reliable, and secure energy to the American people since day one, and this administration is taking decisive action to deliver on that commitment,” Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly said in the release. “This historic investment will help address longstanding energy challenges facing tribal communities by lowering electricity costs, expanding access to reliable power, and creating new opportunities for economic development.”
“With this announcement, the Office of Indian Energy is making the largest-ever single investment in tribal energy development in the office’s 20-year history,” said Eric Mahroum, director of the office. “These projects represent a new and expanded direction for the Office, and for the first time, we’re supporting projects at any phase of development and with a broad set of technologies and approaches.”
DOE stressed that selection is not a guarantee. “Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding,” the department said, adding that it may cancel negotiations and rescind a selection for any reason.
Demand far outran the money
The funding opportunity started at $50 million, Tribal Business News reported. DOE expanded it with carryover funds after tribes requested roughly 10 times that amount.
“Indian Country is sending a clear message that they want to engage with the Department of Energy,” Mr. Mahroum told the outlet. “They have energy needs, and they’re looking to get those needs met.”
Cheri Smith, president and CEO of the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, praised the expansion but said it falls well short of the need. “The extraordinary demand for these funds should send a clear signal to policymakers,” Ms. Smith told Tribal Business News. “The need for greater federal investment in Tribal energy development is undeniable.”
Ms. Smith also noted that none of the project titles mention solar or wind. She urged the government to make federal resources available “in ways that respond to tribal priorities rather than steering tribes toward the administration’s preferred energy sources.”
A utility the Nation owns
For the Seneca Nation, the project builds on a utility it already controls. In November 2023, the New York Public Service Commission authorized National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. to transfer its gas distribution facilities on the Cattaraugus Territory to the Nation.
Since then, the Nation’s Seneca Energy has offered territory residents free hookups to the gas system, along with a separate program to convert home appliances. The most recent application window closed Dec. 30, 2025, according to the Seneca Nation’s official newsletter.
Seneca Nation President J.C. Seneca promoted the program in a year-end message to members. “As we count down to 2026, I want to remind residents of the Cattaraugus Territory that Seneca Energy is offering a free program to connect to the Gas Distribution System,” he wrote in the newsletter.
The Cattaraugus Territory lies along Cattaraugus Creek in Erie, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties, about 30 miles south of Buffalo. For families there, a Nation-owned gas network is both a heating-bill question and a matter of self-determination. Energy revenue and infrastructure stay under tribal control rather than an outside utility’s.
The Nation has not publicly detailed how many homes the expansion would reach. DOE’s list notes that project details “are derived from application materials and are subject to change pending finalization of formal financial assistance agreements.”
The Buffalo Chronicle has asked the Seneca Nation and the Department of Energy for comment on the project’s scope and timeline.
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