Caddo Nation Chairman Leads Energy Sovereignty Efforts at Colorado Symposium

May 21, 2025

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Chairman Bobby Gonzalez of the Caddo Nation joined tribal leaders from across the country this week at the 2025 Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Symposium in Ignacio, Colorado, advocating for tribal self-determination and sustainable development of energy resources on Native lands.

The two-day event, held May 20-21 at the Sky Ute Casino Resort, was hosted by the Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Initiative of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines, in partnership with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.

Chief Baker Southern Ute Council pass a resolution to help the Caddo Nation related to their Energy needs and concerns.

Energy Sovereignty: A Path Forward

Speaking at the symposium, Chairman Gonzalez emphasized the importance of tribal control over energy resources and development.

"Energy sovereignty is real," Gonzalez declared. "The Caddo Nation made a decision to not be broke. We are going to develop our energy resources by protecting the environment, by extracting those resources in a respectful manner related to our cultural resources as well as our natural resources, and protecting our waterways and our water in our land. Who better to do that than us?"

Gonzalez highlighted how major corporations have historically profited from tribal lands while Native communities have been left behind.

"Big corporations, for years have trumped unfortunately, the Caddo Nation. The Caddo Nation, at a downfall spiral has lost economic venues opportunity in the energy space by big corporations and co-ops and electric companies," he said. "CEOs of multiple different companies and organizations, especially big corporations, have just walked away with billions and billions of dollars. It continues to happen."

Taking Control of Resources

The chairman pointed to ongoing issues that underscore the need for tribal sovereignty in energy development.

"We have companies that are drilling underneath our land that is horizontally drilling. We have to stop," Gonzalez explained. "We have energy critical minerals that could impact areas that are traditionally, culturally significant to us in our homeland, we're being impacted, but we're going to be involved in these projects, and we're going to develop our own projects."

For the Caddo Nation, energy sovereignty extends beyond economic benefits to basic community needs.

"Energy sovereignty is really real, to be able to have electric for our daycare, our schools, our housing units, our tribal headquarters," Gonzalez said. "You have to have energy, you have to have lights, you have to have gas, you have to have resources. And so for so long, our tribe has not had that opportunity to be at the table."

Panel Discussion at the Native American Mining and Energy Symposium

Changing the Status Quo

Gonzalez explained that historically, during the oil boom of the 1980s in Oklahoma, Caddo Nation citizens received only minimal benefits from their resources.

"In the 1980s the Caddo Nation, whether you as an allotted owner, or you had a lease agreement an Indian individual money account, you received a bonus, or you might have received a lease check during the height of the boom in the state of Oklahoma," Gonzalez said.

This system left the majority of profits with outside interests. "Oil companies, for the most part, became wealthy, and big CEOs and big corporations became wealthy, they became wealthy off the backs of people like the Caddo Nation and our allotment owners and our tribe. Today, we're going to change that."

Chairman Gonzalez's strategy involves engagement at all levels of the energy sector.

"We're getting involved in these energy projects at a very high level, from bottom up and from top down, from Washington DC, all the way down, and from the grassroots up," he explained. "And hopefully we meet in the middle somewhere taxing big oil and gas companies that's never been taxed, bringing corporations to the table that's never been brought to the table."

A Collaborative Approach

At the symposium, Gonzalez participated in Session 1, focused on "Oil and Gas - Success Stories," alongside representatives from the Jicarilla Apache, Navajo Nation, and industry experts.

The event brought together diverse voices, including tribal leaders, industry representatives, federal officials, and academic experts. Dr. Richard Luarkie, a former two-term Governor of the Pueblo of Laguna and Program Director of the NAMES Initiative, invited Chairman Gonzalez to speak about the Caddo Nation's success in the energy sector.

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, hosts of the conference, passed a tribal resolution to support the Caddo Nation's efforts to gain control of their energy resources.

Building Partnerships

Chairman Gonzalez emphasized the importance of strategic relationships in advancing tribal energy sovereignty.

"We are at the table at the highest level, with some of the smartest individuals in the energy space in the United States and in the tribal space," he said. "And also continue to make inroads in Washington, DC, with congressional leaders or stakeholders that we believe that we needed to visit as well, so that they could hear our voice."

These partnerships extend to federal agencies, with Gonzalez noting his discussions with Congressman Tom Cole and Secretary Burgum on funding issues for tribes.

The NAMES Initiative

Chairman Gonzalez speaks on the Native American Mining and Energy Symposium panel.

The symposium is part of a broader effort by the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines to empower Native American tribes in the energy sector.

Launched in 2023, the NAMES Initiative aims to provide tribes with knowledge and resources to make informed decisions about mining and energy projects on their lands. The program emphasizes sovereignty and sustainable development, recognizing that many critical minerals essential for the energy transition—such as lithium, copper, and cobalt—are located on or near Native lands.

Rick Tallman, NAMES' program manager, emphasized: "This initiative isn't pro-mining or pro-energy development—it's pro-knowledge. We're focused on empowering the tribes so they can make the most informed decisions, to do whatever they want to do, as is their sovereign right."

Southern Ute Tribal Council and assistant secretary from interior Scott Davis, and the director of the Southern ute department of Energy

Looking Forward

For Chairman Gonzalez and the Caddo Nation, the path forward is clear: take control of their energy resources while ensuring environmental protection and cultural preservation.

"We're going to continue to change that," Gonzalez affirmed. "One of the things that we're going to do is we're getting involved."

As the symposium concludes today, Gonzalez and other tribal leaders return to their communities with strengthened connections and renewed determination to advance energy sovereignty—ensuring that Native nations will be the primary beneficiaries of the resources on their lands.