Donald Trump Begins to Dismantle Obama’s Environmental Legacy with Keystone Order
Donald Trump signed executive orders today to revive the controversial Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines – taking yet another step to destroy the environment and former President Barack Obama’s climate change legacy.
In normal Trump fashion, his order on the pipeline left some confusion. The executive order directs the Army Corps of Engineers to “review and approve in an expedited manner, to the extent permitted by law.”
However, Trump said that both pipeline projects would be subject to renegotiation. His order for the Keystone XL project “invites” the company to “re-submit its application.”
Trump added in remarks to reporters, “I am very insistent that if we’re going to build pipelines in the United States, the pipe should be made in the United States.”
The project’s owner, TransCanada, had been planning to use some American steel in the pipeline. It was unclear how Trump’s demand might change the cost of the project.
