U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign two executive actions on Tuesday to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, an administration official told Reuters.
The move comes after months-long protests by environmentalists and Native American groups in North Dakota against Energy Transfer Partners LP’s $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, which would bring crude oil from the state’s Bakken oil patch through the Midwest and into the U.S. Gulf Coast.
A company spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Under former president Barack Obama, Transcanada Corp’s Keystone XL oil pipeline was rejected in 2015 after environmentalists campaigned against the project for more than seven years. Transcanada declined to comment.
Trump’s action, which comes in his fourth full day in office, would be a boon for oil producers concerned about limited pipeline capacity bringing oil to market.