Tribal Energy Bill to Be Signed By Trump

North Dakota Senator John Hoeven announced Monday that the House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 245, the Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2017, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law.

Hoeven says the law allows tribes to take care of their own energy resources, cuts red tape, drives economic growth and promotes energy development.

It also directs the Department of Interior to provide tribes with technical assistance in planning stages of the energy resource development programs; expands the Department of Energy’s Indian energy education planning and management assistance; amends the Federal Power Act to require tribes receive preference for the receipt of hydroelectric licenses; and creates multiple new biomass projects.

The bill passed the Senate on November 29, 2017, and passed the House on December 10, 2018.