Latest news with #NativeAmericanTribes
Washington Post
29-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Appeals court revives Native American challenge to $10B SunZia energy transmission project
A federal appeals court has sided with Native American tribes in their fight against the federal government over a $10 billion energy transmission line designed to carry wind-generated electricity from New Mexico to customers as far away as California. The Tohono O'odham Nation — along with the San Carlos Apache Tribe, the Center for Biological Diversity and Archaeology Southwest — sued the U.S. Interior Department and then-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in 2024. They argued that the agency failed to properly consult with the tribes on a historic property designation for southern Arizona's San Pedro Valley.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Resolution Copper Welcomes Inclusion in Federal Transparency Initiative
SUPERIOR, Ariz., April 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Resolution Copper welcomes the White House's announcement designating the Resolution project as part of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council's list of critical mineral "transparency projects." This designation represents a significant step toward enhancing transparency, accountability, and predictability in the permitting process for critical mineral projects in the United States. We appreciate the federal government's recognition of the essential role domestic copper production plays in supporting national security, manufacturing, and economic resilience. In addition to copper, the Resolution project will also be a tremendous source of other strategic and critical minerals. Resolution Copper can be a domestic source of at least seven other strategic and critical minerals that are found in the mine's deposit including indium, tellurium, bismuth and rhenium. These minerals can be used in a variety of materials and technologies ranging from semiconductors, aerospace, energy and national security. "There is growing recognition of the urgent need to develop domestic sources of copper and other critical materials to support the nation's energy security and industrial base," said Vicky Peacey, General Manager at Resolution Copper. "We are committed to playing a meaningful role in helping to deliver these materials and will continue to engage constructively in the national dialogue." "The Resolution Copper mine is vital to securing America's energy future and infrastructure needs with a domestic supply of copper and other critical minerals. We are encouraged by the strong community and regional support for the project which has the potential to be one of America's biggest copper mines, add $1 billion a year to Arizona's economy, and create thousands of local jobs in a region where mining has played an important role for more than a century. "We remain committed to a rigorous, inclusive, and respectful collaborative process that incorporates feedback from local communities, Tribal Nations and all stakeholders. More than a decade of extensive consultation and collaboration with Native American Tribes and local communities has directly led to major changes to the mining plan to preserve and reduce potential impacts on cultural interests, and this ongoing dialogue will continue to shape the project. "As part of the transparency initiative, we look forward to continuing to work closely with federal agencies to provide greater public insight into the project's progress and ensure the highest standards of environmental stewardship and cultural sensitivity." About Resolution Copper The Resolution Copper project is a proposed underground mine that will be developed by re-using the disturbed footprint of the historic Magma Copper mine, in the Copper Triangle of Arizona. The ore deposit lies nearly 7,000 feet below the earth's surface. It represents one of the most significant untapped copper deposits today. The mine has the potential to become one of the largest copper mines in America as well as other strategic materials and critical minerals. Learn more at Contacts: Media Relations, Resolution CopperTyson NanselM +1 480 204 9878E Media Relations, Rio Tinto USJesse RiseboroughM +1 202 394 9480E View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Resolution Copper Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirms Line 5 tunnel review to move forward under shortened timeline
Enbridge pumping station, Mackinaw City, Feb. 7, 2023 | Laina G. Stebbins As the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, continues to prepare the draft of its long-awaited environmental review of the Line 5 tunnel project; the Corps confirmed on Wednesday that its evaluation would move forward on a shortened timeline following an executive order from President Donald Trump. The project would replace a four-mile section of the pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac with a new segment located in a concrete-lined tunnel beneath the lakebed, intended to contain any potential spills from the pipeline. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX However, Native American Tribes and environmental activists have long argued the pipeline poses too much of a threat to continue operating in the Straits — where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet — as tribal nations and environmental organizations have brought forth several legal challenges against the project, raising concerns about the impacts of both constructing the tunnel and allowing Line 5 to continue operating. In order to move forward with construction, Enbridge Energy, the Canadian company that owns the pipeline, must secure permits from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the Michigan Public Service Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers. As part of its permitting review, the Corps must issue an environmental impact statement examining the natural, cultural and human environment before making its permitting decision. In 2023, the Army Corps of Engineers announced it would extend its review for the statement, with plans to issue a draft statement in 2025 and a final decision expected in early 2026. However, a decision could come much sooner following an order from President Trump instructing the United States Army Corps of Engineers to exercise emergency permitting power to facilitate the nation's energy supply. Following Trump's Jan. 20 executive order which declared a national energy emergency in order to boost fossil fuel production, many Line 5 opponents warned that the order could impact the Corps' review of the tunnel project. After several indications that the Line 5 tunnel would receive expedited processing, members of the Corps confirmed on Wednesday that the project would be reviewed under emergency procedures. While members of the Corps could not offer an updated timeline for the project, Shane McCoy, the regulatory chief for the USACE's Detroit District told reporters on Wednesday the draft environmental impact statement would most likely be released in June. Though the timeline for the project has been shortened, McCoy said the emergency procedures would not eliminate any steps from the review, later telling reporters, 'We have full confidence that we will be making the decision based on the best information available.' 'The truncated process will result in a very legally defensible and very well informed decision in our record of decision,' McCoy said. McCoy also emphasized that the decision on whether to permit the project would not be determined prior to the completion of its analysis and all required consultations and coordinations. However, Whitney Gravelle, president of the Bay Mills Indian Community, said she didn't believe that. On March 21, the Bay Mills Indian Community alongside the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, and Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi sent a letter to the USACE, withdrawing their participation as cooperating agencies in drafting the environmental impact statement due to the expectation that the project would soon receive permitting due to Trump's executive order. The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians similarly withdrew from talks with the USACE on March 26. While USACE Lt. Col. Wallace Bandeff said tribal input helped shape and refine cultural resource surveys and reports and the consideration of cultural resources in the Corps of Engineers review, Gravelle said the process was inherently flawed, and that they had repeatedly submitted comments, data and scientific fact that was ignored. Despite the departure of the seven tribes participating as cooperating agencies, the USACE told reporters it continues to consult with them, as well as 13 other tribal nations. While the Corps determined Enbridge's permit request met the definition of Trump's emergency order, Gravelle said she'd like to know where the emergency is. 'Emergency measures are in place for things like flooding or wildfires or loss of life and property, and how would Line 5 impact anyone in any way,' Gravelle said pointing to the Edenville Dam failure and Enbridge's 2010 oil spill in the Kalamazoo River as recent examples of emergency permitting within the state. Should the project move forward, it would have detrimental harm to an already vulnerable population of white fish and lake trout in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, which would reduce tribal fishing in the Straits, Gravelle said. In 1836, the Anishinaabe signed the Treaty of Washington, ceding nearly 14 million acres of land to settlers. In return, Anishinaabe peoples would retain the right to hunt, fish and gather within the ceded territory. 'We've shared evidence with them. Locations of, you know, fish spawning beds in both of the lakes, we've shared with them cultural historic properties, both on the North and the South Shore…. we're trying to not only prevent future harm, but we're also trying to protect and preserve what we have now,' Gravelle said. 'And nobody hears that right? Like nobody can understand the importance of tribal treaty rights, because when they think of treaty rights, they just think of someone going out and catching a fish. And they don't realize that this is tied to teachings that you get from your parents on where to fish and how to fish, and then, you know, teachings that you get from your elders when you have fish at ceremony, or teachings on how to interact with the landscape, or like, why do we fish during these seasons, but not during the other seasons. It's all interwoven into our Indigenous way of life,' Gravelle said. In a statement responding to the USACE's notice, Gravelle's message was simple: 'We will continue to defend the rights of the Great Lakes. See you in court.' 'That's exactly how I feel,' Gravelle told the Michigan Advance. 'We have been setting ourselves up and positioning ourselves now that we will fight for our rights before the court, and we will do it not only on behalf of tribes, but on behalf of the rest of the Great Lakes.' When asked what the community was looking to challenge, Gravelle said all options were on the table, down to the executive order and the determination that the project meets emergency permitting criteria. 'When you are threatening tribes and tribal people and our community's way of life, there's nothing to do, but left to fight and to fight, so that we can continue to exist,' Gravelle said. As the Army Corps of Engineers moves forward with its review, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Michigan Public Service Commission have already granted the project its necessary permits. However, the The Bay Mills Indian Community, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi alongside Environmental Law and Policy Center and the Michigan Climate Action Network have sought leave to appeal the Public Service Commission's decision to the Supreme Court, after a previous court upheld the Commission's decision. The Great Lakes water advocacy group For Love of Water — or FLOW — has filed a separate application aiming to appeal the case. Additionally Enbridge must redo its water resources permit as part of a legal agreement with EGLE and the Bay Mills Indian Community. EGLE Strategic Communications Advisor Scott Dean told the Michigan Advance on April 3 that EGLE is currently reviewing two applications for construction activities related to the tunnel, including a joint permitting application covering its Wetlands Protection and Great Lakes Bottomlands permits. EGLE is also considering Enbridge's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, with its current permit set to expire on Oct. 1, 2025. The permit aims to protect water quality by limiting the amount of pollutants that can be discharged into a body of water. Enbridge spokesperson Ryan Duffy referenced a previous statement when asked about the USACE's shortened permitting pathway, calling the pipeline 'critical energy infrastructure' 'In 2021 the State of Michigan issued its environmental permits for the tunnel project, and in 2023 the Michigan Public Service Commission approved placing the new pipeline segment in the tunnel as Line 5 crosses the Straits of Mackinac. However, the project still awaits action by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on an environmental impact statement and a permitting decision,' Duffy said, adding that the company had reapplied for permits from EGLE which were set to expire in 2026.
CBS News
14-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Despite Colorado law, some online loans carry 500%+ interest rate: "They get away with lending murder"
When Tate Anderson's daughter needed a loan for a couple thousand dollars to help buy a car in February, the Englewood woman went online and stumbled on a loan that her father couldn't believe. It carried an interest rate of 581%. "I can't be everyone's dad, but this can't happen to people," said Anderson. "It's so awful." Anderson, who has been a mortgage broker for 30 years and is familiar with the lending world, thought it was illegal to charge that much interest in Colorado. His daughter signed up for a $2,000 loan with an online lender called WithU Loans. The payment schedule called for her to pay more than $800 per month for nine months amounting to $6,370.19 in interest and a 581% interest rate for her $2,000 loan, according to loan documents reviewed by CBS News Colorado. "I was shocked, needless to say", Anderson told CBS News Colorado. "They get away with lending murder," he said. Anderson told his daughter "to call them and tell them to pound sand." How could a loan like that be offered in Colorado, where state laws have capped interest rates at less than 40% for years? Anderson and his daughter didn't know that WithU Loans was an online lender owned and operated by the Otoe-Missouria tribe of Indians, and Indian tribes in the U.S. are generally exempt from state laws that prohibit exorbitant interest rates. What they are doing is perfectly legal. "This is something that is baked into our Constitutional system," explained Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. "If you are a tribe and acting as a tribal entity you aren't subject to the regulations of the state," said Weiser. Tribal loans, as they are called, are exempt from state laws as native American tribes have tribal sovereignty, legal standing that makes them immune from state statutes. "When tribes operate businesses," said Weiser, "they are operating outside of Colorado law because of their sovereignty." While Anderson's daughter only dealt with WithU Loans, tribal lenders have proliferated online, offering installment loans that one tribal lender calls "an expensive form of credit." A spokesperson for WithU loans provided a written statement about offering high interest loans in Colorado saying, "People turn to online lending when they can't find the financial options they need locally, or because they prefer to do business online. The internet connects them to services -- including those offered by Native American Tribes from Tribal Lands under Tribal law." He said, "Our terms are clear..." Dr. Katherine Spilde, a California-based professor who specializes in American Indian economic development, said tribal loans provide geographically isolated tribal nations with revenue needed for housing, education, health care and law enforcement. She said, "I do think it's a win-win, especially when you think what the tribes are using it for." Asked about the soaring interest rates, she said, "Online lending in general doesn't create financial fragility, it reveals it. These consumers need help, they need a partner they can count on," said Spilde. The online review platform Trustpilot said 71% of WithU Loans reviewers gave the service a five star review while 18% gave it one star. "The interest is so evil," wrote one reviewer this month. "You are flat out robbing people who need help. You should be absolutely ashamed of your greed." The Better Business Bureau in Oklahoma City has given WithU Loans an F grade, with the BBB saying it has received 343 complaints against the lender. In 2022, one Colorado resident filed a complaint with the federal Consumer Financial Protection bureau about an unnamed tribal lender. He said he took out a tribal loan that carried a 447% interest rate. "If this is not predatory lending then I don't know what is. Put a stop to this," said the resident. Weiser said consumers need to do their research. "With so many online lenders, it's tricky out there. It's easy to go into a product without understanding it," said Weiser. "Consumers have choices. They should think hard about what's best for them." Tate Anderson said he was able to quickly intervene in his daughter's case and cancel the loan. "Because I'm not going to let anyone rip my daughter off," said Anderson. He said after cancelling her loan, he lent his daughter the money for her new car. While Weiser indicated there is not much the state can do about tribal lenders themselves, in 2023, his office reached a settlement with a collection agency -- TrueAccord -- which was licensed in Colorado and had been collecting debt from Colorado consumers stemming from tribal loans they had defaulted on. The settlement agreement says from 2017 through 2022, TrueAccord collected or attempted to collect from 28,728 Colorado consumers who had defaulted on their tribal loans. Some of the loans had interest rates nearing 900%, according to the settlement agreement. TrueAccord denied any allegations of wrongdoing but stopped collecting on tribal loans in Colorado and agreed to pay the state $500,000.
