Obama administration asks tribes about infrastructure projects

With President Barack Obama heading into his last official conference with tribal leaders, federal agencies are opening talks on a hot-button issue.

Controversy over the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline prompted the Obama administration to put a hold on a key part of the project. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and allies in Indian Country have raised "important issues" about the decision-making process at the federal level, according to an announcement from three agencies on Friday.

But more broadly, the #NoDAPL movement has forced the Department of Justice, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior to take a look at how tribes are consulted about large-scale infrastructure projects like Dakota Access. The agencies have scheduled a series of meetings in October and November to consider changes in existing processes and to consider whether new laws are needed.

http://www.indianz.com/News/2016/09/23/obama-administration-asks-tribes-about-i.asp