President Trump made an aggressive move on Tuesday, Jan 24. to revive the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
This is the latest move by the new republican president to dismantle the work that former president Obama and millions of American’s fought so hard to get done.
The documents signed on Tuesday pave the way for the government to reconsider the construction of 1,179 miles of pipeline, expanding the Dakota Access pipeline from North and South Dakota to Illinois.
The obvious benefit that many choose to ignore is the jobs that the pipeline construction can bring to the U.S.
“28,000 jobs. Great construction jobs.” said President Trump as he signed the bill allowing the re-negotiations to move forward towards a possible construction of the pipeline.
In addition to jobs, The pipeline would generate about $3 Billion to the United States GDP and would create tens of millions of dollars in property taxes in the counties along the route, according to experts.
And when it comes to oil, the Keystone Pipeline would cary 800,000 barrels a day from the Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast benefiting the oil industry here in the United States and in Canada and it lessening the strength and demand in the middle east.
As for the threats to the Standing Rock Sioux, the President made it clear that there would be renegotiations.
I hope most of those negotiations are in the best interest of the tribe. The pipeline posed threats to their land and drinking water.
Trump said while campaigning that he would renegotiate terms regarding the pipeline with the environment, the national interest and with workers in mind. Anything in contrary to the interest to those areas would be “scrapped” he said.