western governors assoc

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also LNG export

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/11042019/trump-pipeline-executive-order-environmental-review-keystone-xl-clean-water-act-states-rights

 Trump signed a pair of executive orders Wednesday that aim to speed approval and construction of fossil fuel projects, including the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline, by limiting environmental reviews. While the measures are part of a broader effort to use his executive authority to push through oil, gas and coal development, they also mark a new attempt to shield the president's actions from review by the courts.

One of the orders appears to target the Keystone XL pipeline in particular, declaring that the decision to permit infrastructure crossing international borders "shall be made solely by the President" rather than the State Department, to which previous administrations had delegated the authority. Trump issued exactly such a permit in March for Keystone XL, and both the permit and the new order appear to be attempts to sidestep a legal challenge and allow the project to proceed.

Critically, having the president issue the permit directly, rather than going through the State Department, could make it more difficult for environmental and indigenous groups to challenge cross-border permits under the National Environmental Protection Act, which subjects major federal agency actions to careful review.

The second order signed Wednesday aims to limit the ability of states to review and reject pipelines and other projects under a section of the Clean Water Act. States have used that law to slow or block several pipeline projects, as well as proposed terminals to export coal and natural gas. The order also directs the Transportation Department to update regulations for exporting liquified natural gas, an increasingly important product for the energy industry.

Trump's orders drew wide condemnation from environmental groups.

"States must be able to protect communities from the polluting corporations that threaten them and their waterways," said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, in a statement. "The Sierra Club will fight these executive orders with every tool at our disposal."

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, vowed to "fight this tooth and nail."

The Western Governors' Association, whose members include the Republican governors of the nation's top energy-producing states, also questioned the move to limit states' authority. It issued a statement saying the governors "have concerns" about the order but are ready to work with federal officials on the new guidelines.

Clearing the Way for Keystone XL

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