On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced that it will provide funding for 17 projects in the United States to increase the availability of renewable energy in Native American reservations and rural areas.

The solar, battery storage and hydropower initiatives in underdeveloped areas with expensive and unreliable electricity will be supported by a $366 million fund. The funding was allocated through the 2021 infrastructure law, signed by President Joe Biden, which totals $1 trillion.

According to the Biden administration, approximately 20% of homes on the Navajo Nation, which spans across northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah, lack access to electricity as estimated by the U.S. Department of Energy. Additionally, around 33% of homes with electricity on Native American reservations in the US experience monthly power outages.

The announcement comes as Native tribes in Nevada and Arizona fight to protect their lands and sacred sites amid the Biden administration’s expansion of renewable energy. It also comes days after federal regulators granted Native American tribes more authority to block hydropower projects on their land.

The Department of Energy officials stated that the Biden administration will only provide funding for the 17 projects if they negotiate with the project applicants. They also mentioned that they will be meeting with tribal leaders at a summit in Southern California to discuss clean energy projects.

“I firmly believe that every community, particularly those in rural and remote areas, should reap the benefits of the nation’s momentous transition towards a sustainable and clean energy future,” stated U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

The initiatives cover a total of 20 states and encompass 30 different tribes. They consist of a $30 million plan to supply plant-derived energy to communities at risk of wildfires in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, and a $32 million project to construct solar and hydropower systems for a Native American tribe in Washington state.

An additional sum of $27 million will be allocated for the development of a hydroelectric plant that will cater to the needs of a tribal community in Alaska. Additionally, $57 million will be utilized to implement solar energy solutions and storage facilities for healthcare facilities in rural areas of the Southeast, such as Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.