Oct 19 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Clifton Adcock Tulsa World, Okla.

With the United States debating energy policy, the chief of an Oklahoma American Indian tribe hopes to bring in a tribal perspective.

Last week, Osage Nation Chief Jim Gray was appointed to the U.S. Department of Interior's Tribal Energy Policy Advisory Committee. He will advise the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs on guidance and implementation policies for tribes wanting to develop their energy resources.

While the Osage Nation is known for its strong heritage in the Oklahoma oil fields, the search for new energy sources gives tribes across the U.S. a unique opportunity to have an impact.

"I think the United States is having a conversation on a broader level than just oil and gas, and I think that's healthy that we enhance the non-renewable element of energy like oil and gas, but that we also spend as much effort and time and investment into the production of renewables," Gray said. "By definition, money invested in these kinds of resources will continue to provide an energy supply that will last for generations."

Gray said he hopes the federal government will work with tribes to tap their own resources.

"The time to invest in those technologies is today, and give the tribes the capacity

to develop those resources on their own land," Gray said. "This is a very exciting time for tribes. They say we're in a crisis, but a crisis means you can have opportunities that weren't there before. Clearly this current energy climate gives us Indian tribes around the country, with the help of the federal government, unique opportunities."

Gray said his experience as an Osage Nation leader working with the federal government and energy firms will help him as an adviser on the committee.

"For over 100 years, the Osage Nation has been recognized as a prime source of development for oil and gas companies across the country," Gray said. "I would like to have an opportunity to have some positive input on responding to the current situation, be able to encourage more development, minimize its impact to the environment and ensure the tribes around the country, and certainly the Osages, are getting their fair share of the royalties."

Clifton Adcock 581-8462

clifton.adcock@tulsaworld.com

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