As we know, Donald Trump He is now officially president of the US The controversy of this man in charge on environmental issues is great because his ideals are very little environmental.
Today has given good news to the oil industry but bad news to all environmental groups. One of your first decisions as president of the United States is that of enabling the construction of two large pipeline projects.
Donald Trump's decision
The previous president, Barack Obama, had paralyzed the construction of these pipelines due to its possible impacts on the environment.
The pipelines that will continue to be built are the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. This construction will be carried out after negotiations with the companies that are in charge of building them. The positive thing about the construction of these pipelines is the generation of 28.000 jobs in the construction sector.
In addition, Trump, in addition to approving these projects, has added another memorandum in which it is said that all the necessary steel that is needed for the construction of the pipelines, will have to be manufactured in the US A decree orders that all impact evaluations environmental requirements that projects require to be carried out more quickly.
During his election campaign, Donald Trump promised revitalize the steel and fossil fuel industries. He stated that the Americans needed to move the country towards energy independence and jobs should be created for as many as possible.
Pipeline controversy
The Keystone XL Pipeline it was banned by Obama in 2015. The ban was made after a lengthy review of its possible environmental impacts. Once the pipeline is approved, it intends to transport about 830.000 barrels per day of oil that comes from the tar sands of the province of Alberta.
On the other hand, Obama also suspended the construction of Dakota Access, a $ 3.800 billion project that would take half a million barrels of oil a day from the oil fields of North Dakota to existing infrastructure in Illinois.
Donald Trump has signed this measure that allows Trans Canada, the company in charge of the construction of the Keystone XL, to apply for the permit with which it can complete the construction of the pipeline. He has promised to make a decision on this within 60 days of receiving the president's request.
In the case of Dakota Access, it asks the authorities to "review and approve" the requests of the company Energy Transfer Partners, which It has already built 90% of the 1.770-kilometer stretch of the pipeline and wants to complete the final stretch, which passes under Lake Oahe in North Dakota.
Protests against the construction of the pipelines
There are many companies, associations and social groups that are against the construction of these pipelines. First of all, the indigenous tribe Standing rock sioux She has been protesting the Dakota Access project for several months. They carry out their protests thanks to the support of environmental activists and progressive politicians. The reason for the protests is that they believe that lands they consider sacred will be spoiled and that the Missouri River will be polluted, on which they depend for their way of life.
Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace and Sierra Club Because the construction of these pipelines enriches the richest and, nevertheless, damages the lives of the poorest.
Possible environmental impacts
Trump mentioned that to begin the construction of the pipelines it is necessary to negotiate several terms with the companies that are in charge of the project. This those terms is the get the best possible deal for American taxpayers. He also affirmed the need to simplify and speed up the bureaucracy to be able to approve projects that require an environmental impact assessment.
However, an exhaustive environmental impact study should be carried out, since the risks of damaging the environment are surely very high.