Prepared, strategic energy policy and counsel for tribes 

Pilar Thomas advises Native American tribes on tribal renewable energy project development and finance, tribal economic development, federal Indian law and natural resource development. Clients turn to her for strategic legal advice on:

• Tribal energy policy and planning
• Clean energy and infrastructure project development and financing
• Federal and state energy regulatory, programs and policy efforts
• Federal requirements for tribal land development

Pilar's in depth federal Indian law experience extends to her governmental work as deputy director for the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs at the U.S. Department of Energy. She was responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs to achieve the office's objectives related to the promotion of energy development, electrification and infrastructure improvement on tribal lands.

Pilar also was the deputy solicitor of Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior interim attorney general, chief of staff to Chairwoman Herminia Frias of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental and Natural Resources Division, Indian Resources Section.

Bar Admissions

• Arizona

Education

• Stanford University (B.A., 1983)

• University of New Mexico School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2002)
  • Order of the Coif
  • Indian Law Certificate

• "2020 Will Be Bullish For Tribal Clean Energy Development"
• "Carcieri Fix: A View from Inside the Agency"
• "Case Studies in Infrastructure Vulnerability to Climate Change: Tribal Perspective"
• "Doing a Renewable Energy Project on an Indian Reservation: Top Ten Myths"
• "Energy and Environmental Justice"
• "Energy Sovereignty: Governance and Jurisdiction"
• "Environmental Justice: Energy Equity and Transitions"
• "Environmental Law & Policy Under the Trump Administration"
• "Get Your Hands off My Trust Responsibility? Debating the Federal Government's Role in the Trust Responsibility"
• "Governance and Jurisdiction Over Energy Development on Tribal Lands"
• "Indian Country and the Trump Administration: Key Opportunities and Considerations"
• "Making Your Way Through the Ethics Haze: Selected Topics in the Environmental and Energy Context"
• "Market, Regulatory and Jurisdictional Considerations in Renewable Energy Development in Indian Country"
• "Moving Beyond Consultation to Collaboration on Cultural Resource and Environmental Impacts"
• "Native Groups Say Lender Ruling Cramps Tribal Businesses"
• "Negotiating Contracts on Tribal Lands"
• "Outlook for the Trump Administration"
• "Potential Federal Legislative Solutions to Facilitate Tribal Energy Development"
• "State energy policy implications for tribal energy development"
• "Strategizing Emergency Relief Aid to Tribal Citizens"
• "The Look Ahead: Key Market and Legal Developments in Renewable Energy Development in Indian Country"
• "Tribal Clean Energy Development and Utility Support: Path to Economic Recovery from COVID-19"
• "Tribal Energy Development: Legal and Regulatory Prepositioning"
• "Tribal Energy in the Southwest: New Opportunities for Tribal Projects and Tips for Navigating a Changing Regulatory Environment"
• "Tribal Energy Resources, Policies & Potential"
• "Tribal Natural Resource Development and Environmental Management"
• "Tribal Utility Development"
• "Tribes Urge Developer Focus on Economic Diversity, Sustainability"
• A Summary of Inflation Reduction Act for Tribal Governments
• California Public Utility Commission Issues New Rules to Promote Community Microgrid Deployment and Explicitly Includes Tribes
• CARES Act: Business Tax Provisions for Tribal-Owned Businesses
• DOE Announces Availability of $225 million for Tribal Home Electrification Program
• Exploring the Energy Transition on Tribal Lands, with Pilar Thomas
• Federal Stimulus Package Makes Loans Available to Tribal Business Concerns to Help Keep People Employed
• IRS Guidance on Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit for Native American Energy Projects
• IRS Issues New Guidance Related to Bonus Tax Credits for Renewable Energy Projects: Prevailing Wage Requirements and Start of Construction for Tribal Projects
• Native American Heritage Month - A Giving of Thanks for Native Resilience
• Pilar Thomas Writes Bloomberg Law Article About IRA Tax Credits Impact on Tribal Clean Energy Plans
• President Biden Begins to Tackle Climate Change and Environmental Justice through Executive Action
• SCOTUS Holds Bankruptcy Code Waives Tribal Sovereign Immunity: Implications for Tribes as Creditors: Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Coughlin
• The American Rescue Plan Act Provides Massive Funding to Tribes for Small Business Credit Support and Investments
• Treasury Begins Distributing CARES Act Title V Funding to Tribes: Establishing an Economic Support Grant Program for Tribal Businesses
• Treasury Issues Guidelines for Use of CARES Act Title V Funding: How Tribes Can Prepare to Spend These Funds
• Treasury Provides Updated Guidance and FAQs on the Use of CARES Act Title V Funding: Tribes Must Comply With Uniform Administrative Requirements
• Tribal Businesses Eligible for Loans / Tax Credits Under the CARES Act
• Tribal Energy Development Opportunities Abound: A Summary of the Energy Act of 2020 and Fiscal Year 2021 Omnibus Appropriations
• What to Expect from the Biden Administration: Key Environmental and Natural Resource Issues to Watch

Seminar

• 15th Annual Schultz Lecture in Energy
• A “Game-Changer” – Recently Passed IRA Gives Tribes New Avenues to Clean Energy Funding
• American Rescue Plan Act: Funding for Tribes for Small Business Credit Support and Investments
• American Rescue Plan New Small Business Credit Support Initiative: How Tribes Can Begin Planning For Programs
• CARES Act of 2020: Business Support Programs for the Cultural/Tribal Tourism Sector
• Energy Resiliency: Preparing for the Inevitable
• Environmental Justice: Energy Equity and Transitions
• Federal Bar Association's Annual Indian Law Conference
• Green Energy CDFI Financing
• Ground Mount 100
• Key Trends in Renewable Energy Development on Tribal Lands
• Keynote Session: Solar Energy + Land Use Policy Roundtable
• Making Your Way Through the Ethics Haze: Selected Topics in the Environmental and Energy Context
• MTERA 2022 Virtual Conference
• Native Sovereign and State Intergovernmental Summit
• Siting Projects On or Near Indian Lands: Important Tribal Resource Considerations
• Smart, Resilient Reservation Infrastructure
• SSBCI Webinar: Tribal Venture Capital Programs for Renewable Energy Development
• SSBCI: Administering Credit Support
• SSBCI: Planning and Administering Tribal Loan Support Programs
• Strategizing Emergency Relief Aid to Tribal Citizens
• Tribal Clean Energy Development and Utility Support: Path to Economic Recovery from COVID-19
• Tribal Consultation and CBA Practices in Mining Projects
• Tribal Natural Resource Development and Environmental Management