 Six of Minnesota's 11 Chippewa Bands, long opposed to the new 340-mile pipeline, three proposed by Enbridge, will begin their own technical, environmental, social, and legal assessments of the project that are designed to be Anishinaabe-centric. Now, the proposed Pipeline III corridor passes through the tribe's seeded treaty lands and waters. Minnesota Chippewa Tribe will work in partnership with the group, Honor the Earth, to create a natural resource evaluation tool to assess all impacts from proposed large infrastructure projects which affect Chippewa Tribal resources and communities. The Red Lake, White Earth, Fond du Lac, Leech Lake, Net Lake, and Malaq Bands will commence public hearings next week for both tribal and non-tribal communities. Tentative dates for the in-person hearings are October 18th for the White Earth Nation in the evening, the 19th for Red Lake Nation in the morning and Leech Lake Band in the evening, and the 23rd for the Malaq's Band in the morning and Fond du Lac Band in the evening. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.