President Donald Trump will sign executive orders to continue construction of Keystone XL and North Dakota access pipelines.
The pipeline projects were blocked by the previous Obama administration, in part due to environmental protests, among other things.
According to the Daily Mail newspaper, Trump will sign the orders on Tuesday. This move has been celebrated by the Republican Party and some union groups who have always been behind the projects. The source of the information did not want to be named.
President Barack Obama stopped Keystone XL development in 2015. Fears were abound that it would undercut a climate change deal that was at the heart of his climate change legacy.
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“Removing Roadblocks”
President Trump has never had the environmental concerns of the previous administration. In October he declared that he would “remove roadblocks” allowing the pipelines to be constructed. The roadblocks he was talking about was climate change legislation.
The pipelines will run from Canada to the Gulf Coast in the U.S. It required State Department approval as it crossed a border.
North Dakota
Throughout last year the North Dakota pipeline construction was the scene of many protests.
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and supporters stated that the pipeline threatened drinking water as well as Native American sites. This has been denied by the Energy Transfer Partners who claim their pipeline will be safe.
Many actors voiced opposition to the pipeline including Susan Sarandon Mark Ruffalo, and Shailene Woodley. She was arrested for protesting in one of numerous clashes with authorities.
Many veterans joined the protests too. The Army Corps of Engineers said an alternative route needed to be found.
The idea of the pipeline is to carry oil from North Dakota to South Dakota and then to Iowa with a shipping point at Illinois.
Work was postponed by the Obama administration late last year.
These new orders will see the pipelines recommence construction.
