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- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.
Congress to Take Up Reconilation Bill This Week
While the big news out of Washington on Friday was the release of President Trump's 2026 FY Budget, Congress is set to work on reconciliation/budget items this comeing week. Next week, several House and Senate committees are scheduled to hold reconciliation/budget hearings, a critical step in the budget process.
The Native American Financial Officers Association (NAFOA) will continue to monitor the federal budget process and provide additional information as it develops. With the work remaining on the legislative calendar, it is unlikely that final appropriations amounts on the 2026 budget will be available anytime soon.
Line 5's Proposed Tunnel Set to Receive U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Decision This Fall
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday that it expects to decide this fall whether to issue a permit for Enbridge’s proposed Great Lakes tunnel, part of the company’s Line 5 oil pipeline project.
The project faces opposition from Native American tribes and environmental groups, who argue that it poses an environmental threat to the Great Lakes and dispute claims that the tunnel is essential or that a national energy emergency exists.
The Corps, which serves as a federal engineering agency, also released a revised permitting schedule that includes a public comment period from May 30 to June 30, ahead of its final decision later in the year.
The accompanying graphic shows the tentative timeline and can also be found at https://www.line5tunneleis.com/nepa-timeline-deis/.
The project involves constructing a tunnel approximately 4 miles (6 kilometers) long beneath the Straits of Mackinac in the Great Lakes to house a segment of the 645-mile Line 5 pipeline. This pipeline transports over 20 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids each day from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario.
In 2023, Michigan regulators approved Enbridge’s $750 million proposal to build the tunnel; however, it still requires a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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