President Donald Trump is eager to jump-start the stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline and other energy projects, and he’s taken action to assert executive power over pipelines and such infrastructure.
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He’s issued a new permit for Keystone — and insists it’s an exercise of presidential authority that’s not subject to judicial review.
And Trump has signed an order clarifying that the president alone has authority to issue permits for cross-border projects such as pipelines. A separate executive order makes it harder for states to block pipelines and other energy projects on the basis of environmental concerns.
Taken together, the actions are a broad assertion of presidential authority that reverses more than 50 years of practice.
