WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders to accelerate the construction of oil and gas pipelines in the country, and to promote an efficient domestic energy market that creates jobs and provides affordable energy to consumers.
The White House said President Trump is committed to responsibly developing the United States' abundant resources and advancing American energy dominance.
The presidential action is also aimed at addressing regional and local energy supply constraints, it added.
Speaking at the US oil heartland of Crosby, Texas, on Wednesday, Trump said the groundbreaking executive orders will cut through destructive permitting delays and denials, and help continue the revival of the American energy industry and jobs.
'Too often, badly needed energy infrastructure is being held back by special interest groups, entrenched bureaucracies, and radical activists,' the president said.
Trump said the days when it takes 20 years to get a permit to start an energy project are gone.
As per the executive order, any decision to issue or deny a permit shall be made solely by the President.
The Secretary of State will continue to receive permit applications and provide advice to the President on whether a project would serve the United States' foreign policy interests.
Trump claimed that the United States is now the top producer of oil and natural gas in the world, and that it was made possible by taking down a lot of barriers to production and pumping in the last two and a half years.
'Jobs are at an all-time high in the history of our country. Unemployment is at a 51-year low,' he told his supporters.
Trump said his administration created more than 5.5 million new jobs, including 60,000 oil and gas pipeline construction jobs.
The President claimed that giving approval to the Keystone Pipeline, and removing hurdles to the Dakota Access Pipeline alone helped create 40,000 jobs.
'We withdrew the United States from the one-sided Paris Climate Accord, where you don't do any more drilling for oil and gas. That was going to cost us a lot of money. No more oil and gas with the Paris Accord. That's good for Paris, but that's not good for us,' Trump said.
He added that his government is strongly protecting the environment. 'The United States has among the very cleanest air and water developments in the world,' according to him.
The Environmental Protection Agency will review and update the outdated guidance regarding certification under section 401 of the Clean Water Act.
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