President Trump on Wednesday signed two executive orders not only making it harder for states to block construction of energy projects but also speeding up the processing of pipelines.
“Too often, badly needed energy infrastructure is being held back by special interest groups, entrenched bureaucracies and radical activists,” said the President in Houston. He signed the orders at the International Union of Operating Engineers International Training and Education Center.
President Donald Trump reacts at the International Union of Operating Engineers International Training and Education Center Wednesday, April 10, 2019, in Crosby, Texas. (AP Photo/Juan DeLeon)
He drew immediate support from Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe.
“President Trump’s executive orders confirm what we know in Oklahoma—that responsible production of coal, oil and gas will fuel the economy and provide affordable energy for American families to cook their meals and heat their homes,” he said in a statement. “These executive orders will modernize and adapt outdated agency regulations and guidance to today’s standards and technologies, making it easier to get energy infrastructure projects off the ground.”
He also took note that the orders enacted his proposed reforms to the water quality certification process “to stop activist state governments from blocking projects they deem politically unsavory for reasons that have nothing to do with water quality.”
The President’s move came after New York and Washington state officials had stopped new projects. Washington state had blocked construction of a coal terminal in 2017 and cited air pollution and rail safety concerns.
In New York, a natural gas pipeline was blocked even after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had approved the project in 2014.
