Tribes are getting serious about solar energy. You have seen the commercial touting the partnership between the Chickasaw, Choctaw and Oklahoma Gas and Electric on property held in trust in southeast Oklahoma. Experts predict that it is only the beginning of a long-term commitment by Oklahoma’s 38 sovereign nations to expand their operations beyond the casino by building solar energy farms. Not common in northwest Oklahoma, the panels cover about 35 acres that must be taken out of cultivation or placed on land not suitable for grazing or farming.

We have already witnessed tribal involvement in...