Moving forward: The New Orleans office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has granted a permit for the Bayou Bridge Pipeline project, approving the final hurdle for the controversial project. Construction could begin soon, as Business Report details in a recent feature. The 162-mile-long pipeline would cross 11 parishes as well as portions of the Atchafalaya Basin. The first leg of the pipeline connecting Nederland, Texas, to facilities and refineries in Lake Charles was completed in 2016. The Army Corps says it neither opposes nor supports the project. The decision to issue the permit was based on the completion of an Environmental Assessment and public comments. Read more.
More in store: Amazon is offering an olive branch to Google, announcing on Thursday that it will again sell Apple TV and Google Chromecast devices at its online store, CNET reports. Amazon removed the video-streaming gadgets from its site two years ago, opting to sell its own Fire TV products instead. The change may de-escalate an ongoing feud between Amazon and Google, which announced last week that it would pull YouTube from Amazon devices on Jan. 1 because of a lack of reciprocity. Read more.
After further review: Senate and House Republican leaders have agreed to abandon a proposed controversial tax for graduate students, The Washington Post reports. Under the agreement, tuition waivers received by graduate students remain tax-free, students can still deduct loan interest payments and bonds that colleges use for construction stay interest-free. Details of the final legislation are still forthcoming, but aides with knowledge of the negotiations say lawmakers have responded to the outcry from students. Read more.
