Year of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Individualized Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program

Other Degree Name/Area of Focus

Native American Studies, Environmental Justice, Business Administration, Natural Resources and Environmental Policy Conflict Resolution

Department or School/College

Interdisciplinary Studies Program

Committee Chair

Karla Bird

Commitee Members

Theresa Floyd, Christina Robichaud, Paul Guernsey, Patrick Lozar

Keywords

Corporate Governance, EB-5 Investor Program, Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), Indigenous Sovereignty, Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, Renewable Energy Development

Abstract

This dissertation examines the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System as a single case study focusing on renewable energy development, land use, and Indigenous sovereignty. The study is guided by a braided literature review drawn from Native American Indigenous Studies, Environmental Justice, Business Administration, and Natural Resources and Environmental Policy. Following Yin’s (2018) explanation building pattern matching, the goal is not to conclude the single case but to develop ideas for future study.

The Ivanpah project was sited on the ancestral lands of the Southern Paiute peoples, including the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, and Moapa Band of Paiutes. The Salt Song Trail, a sacred landscape, traverses areas near the project site.

The facility is a 392-megawatt concentrating solar thermal plant in San Bernardino County, California. Construction began in 2010 and was completed in 2014. The project required approvals from the Bureau of Land Management and the California Energy Commission. The Final Environmental Impact Statement documented impacts to desert habitat, desert tortoise, and avian species, with mitigation measures including habitat acquisition and species relocation.

This study uses a qualitative case study methodology based on publicly available sources including the Final Environmental Impact Statement, Federal Register notices, court decisions, regulatory filings, academic literature, and media reports. The braided literature review incorporates treaty-based sovereignty, the trust responsibility, plenary power, Free Prior and Informed Consent, and data sovereignty. The methodology explicitly follows Yin’s explanation building pattern matching, assessing an initial proposition (token compliance rather than meaningful consultation), and identifying a rival proposition (the Navajo Nation solar project where tribal control produces different outcomes).

Findings indicate that land use decisions were based on technical criteria. Environmental impacts include habitat loss, desert tortoise displacement, and avian mortality. Cultural considerations include procedural consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act and subsequent litigation. Operational changes in 2025-2026 include termination of power purchase agreements and a CPUC ruling rejecting that termination. Rather than final conclusions, this study offers three propositions for future research a single case study of the Navajo Nation solar project, a comparative study of both projects, and a Critical Legal Study to analyze treaties (Bauman, 2023).

Download

Available for download on Thursday, June 22, 2028

Share

COinS
 

© Copyright 2026 Tosha Fay Sautbine