January 24, 2017

On January 24, President Trump signed an executive order to advance “high priority infrastructure projects.” Under this order, the Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) may expedite federal review of infrastructure projects at the request of a state governor or head of an executive branch agency. The order places these projects in an accelerated environmental review process overseen by the CEQ.

Potential infrastructure projects outlined in the order include upgrades and additions to the electrical grid, telecommunication projects, port facilities, highways, and pipeline construction. This order was issued with two presidential memoranda on the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. The memoranda direct the Secretary of the Army, for both pipelines, and the Secretary of State and Secretary of the Interior, for the Keystone XL pipeline, to expedite pipeline construction.

Source: White House Office of the Press Secretary