Donald Trump’s war on the environment will continue Wednesday as the president aims to make it easier to build pipelines—angering environmental groups.
An executive order designed to loosen regulations around pipeline construction and ensure the country continues to rely on fossil fuels for its energy needs is expected to be announced by the president during a visit to Texas Wednesday.
The order will allow Trump—and any of his successors—to be the decider on pipeline project approvals, currently the responsibility of the secretary of state due to the cross-border nature of the infrastructure.
Trump is also expected to announce an executive order streamlining the permitting process for infrastructure projects, a thorn in the side of energy giants that are frequently stymied by state resistance.
“So much for the virtues of federalism,” said Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell.
Environmental groups reacted to the news of the order with anger and disappointment.
“This is a disastrous idea, one that exposes the hypocrisy of the Trump administration and threatens to undercut the ability of state leaders to determine how best to protect their rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands,” the Natural Resources Defense Council told The Washington Post on Tuesday.
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