President Trump is set to sign two executive orders Wednesday aimed at making it easier for the oil and gas industry to build pipelines and, for the first time, to ship liquefied natural gas in rail cars across the U.S.
The president’s action also will change U.S. policy to give the president, rather than the secretary of state, sole authority for approving cross-border pipelines such as the Keystone XL project, which was delayed for nearly a decade before President Obama personally rejected it in 2015.
On a trip to Texas, Mr. Trump will visit the International Union of Operating Engineers’ International Training and Education Center near Houston to promote private investment in energy infrastructure and streamlining permitting of projects, a senior administration official said.
The president’s orders will take aim at states that invoke the federal Clean Water Act to delay pipelines and other energy infrastructure projects unnecessarily, the official said.
“There are a lot of problems with the way the Clean Water Act is being interpreted,” the official said in a briefing call with reporters. “It’s imperative that the administration take action to provide clarification and certainty.”
The official said the orders will direct the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that provisions of the Clean Water Act are implemented “consistent with statutory intent.”
The action is aimed partly at states such as New York, which in April 2018 denied water quality certification for the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project, a natural gas pipeline.
Mr. Trump’s action also will rescind executive orders in 1968 and 2004 that gave the secretary of state the authority to issue presidential permits for pipeline projects crossing international borders. In March 2017, Mr. Trump issued a permit for the Keystone XL, which is to carry shale oil from Canada’s oil sands to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The pipeline, which would run through tribal lands in Montana and South Dakota, is tied up in court challenges.
The president’s orders also will direct the secretary of transportation to review and update safety regulations to “reflect modern technology” to allow for the transport of LNG in approved rail tank cars.
LNG is an extremely flammable, hazardous material that has never been transported by railroad in the continental U.S., but administration officials say safety standards and technology have improved greatly since LNG was banned for rail shipment decades ago.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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