A day after President Donald Trump signed executive orders to freeze most federal-worker hiring, remove the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and stop funding of all foreign nongovernmental agencies that perform abortions, he’s given the go-ahead for construction to continue on two controversial pipelines, the Chicago Tribune reports.
In only his second day in office, in allowing the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access pipeline construction to continue, Trump has reignited a long-standing conflict with Native Americans and activists who have argued that the proposed Dakota Access route runs along sacred Native American grounds in North Dakota and that the pipelines could pose health and environmental problems, NPR reports.
Both pipeline projects were blocked by the Obama administration.
As it’s been known to be the Trump administration’s way, one of the stipulations for the pipelines’ construction is that all parts have to be made in the U.S., although there was no indication of how this would be enforced.
“From now we are going to start making pipelines in the United States,” Trump said, according to the Tribune.
While the president’s move to proceed with the Dakota Access pipeline’s construction is not shocking, protests are sure to ensue.
The newspaper also noted that next week, Trump plans to announce his nominee to the Supreme Court to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. You know—the seat that former President Barack Obama tried to fill during his tenure but Republicans refused to discuss his nomination. Yep, Trump’s going to fill that seat.
Read more at the Chicago Tribune and NPR.