Posted: 24 Jan, 2017
Moving ahead with his plans to make the economy and jobs the centerpiece of his administration’s first week in office, President Trump signed executive orders on Tuesday breathing new life the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects. The president said both projects would be subject to a renegotiation of the terms after he signed five orders related to pipeline construction, including others expediting the permitting process for related projects and directing the Commerce Department to maximize the use of U.S. steel.
While the Canada-to-Texas Keystone project was at the center of a heated debate for years until the Obama administration rejected a key permit in November 2015, the Dakota pipeline more recently became the subject of fierce protests until the Army Corps of Engineers in December blocked construction of a controversial segment. TransCanada, has not yet reapplied for a pipeline permit for the Keystone pipeline, after having withdrawn its request under the Obama administration. The moves are likely to spark a new fight with environmentalists. Even before Trump’s orders were official, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune put out a statement blasting what he called the “dangerous” decision.
“The Keystone pipeline was rejected because it was not in the country’s interest, and the environmental review of the Dakota Access Pipeline was ordered because of the threats it poses to the Standing Rock Sioux. Nothing has changed. These pipelines were a bad idea then and they’re a bad idea now,” he said.
Source: Fox News