RELEASE
COCHRAN COMMENDS TRUMP ACTIONS ON ENERGY PIPELINES, MOVE TO BALANCE PERMITTING REVIEWS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today commended President Trump for signing documents to begin streamlining the long permitting and review requirements for major infrastructure projects.
The President on Tuesday moved to reverse Obama administration orders to stop work on the Keystone XL and Dakota Access energy pipelines. In doing so, the President targeted the exhaustive environmental reviews that delay and increase the costs of construction projects.
“The President’s actions can be seen as an effort to find the right balance between protecting the environment and allowing important construction projects to move forward. The Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines had undergone successful and extensive environmental reviews before the Obama administration pulled the plug on them,” Cochran said. “I commend the President for taking action to address national priorities like energy security and job creation.”
During the 114th Congress, Cochran was an original cosponsor of the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act (S.1), which former President Obama vetoed in March 2015 despite passing Congress with strong bipartisan support. In November 2015, Obama formally withdrew U.S. approval for the pipeline.
1/24/17
Magnolia Tribune
