An Indian energy bill is back on the agenda for the 115th Congress.
S.245, the Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments, encourages tribes to develop their own resources. Several provisions are aimed at reducing bureaucratic hurdles that have cost tribes time and money.
A
prior version of the bill cleared the
U.S. Senate last year but lawmakers were never able to reconcile it with a
more controversial package that advanced in the
U.S. House.
Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) hopes this time will be different.
"I think we will be able to get the bill through the House this go around," Hoeven, who is the new chairman of the
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, told Reuters.
Hoeven's committee
already approved the bill. It has not been brought up on the Senate floor for consideration.
Over in the House,
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) has introduced
H.R.210, the Native American Energy Act. It has yet to see any movement in that chamber.
Read More on the Story:
U.S. Lawmakers Seek Looser Energy Development Rules for Tribal Lands
(Reuters 5/9)
Government Accountability Office Report:
Indian Energy
Development: Poor Management by BIA Has Hindered Energy Development on Indian
Lands (June 2015)
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