Posted 1:21 a.m. today
Updated 55 minutes ago
By BLAKE NICHOLSON, Associated Press
BISMARCK, N. D. — President Donald Trump’s executive actions on the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines are aimed at turning the disputed projects into reality, but it’s not clear how quickly that might happen.
Dakota Access is to carry North Dakota oil to Illinois. It’s nearly complete but stalled while the developer and the Army battle in court over permission for the pipeline to cross under the Missouri River in North Dakota.
The Keystone XL project was to bring oil from Canada to Nebraska. Former President Barack Obama halted it in late 2015 for environmental reasons.
Trump’s actions don’t immediately clear the way for construction, and opponents of the projects are likely to fight in court.
Both projects also have been the focus of intense protests, and Trump’s actions might reinvigorate those efforts.
