"From this day forward, it's going to be only America first, America first. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our product, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength. I will fight for you with every breath in my body, and I will never ever let you down."
Donald Trump
1/20/17
A presidential approval is required for the Keystone XL and Dakota Access projects because these pipelines cross a border between the U.S. and another country. That's it. If this were a domestic pipeline there would have been no presidential approval required at all.
So if an energy company needs U.S. approval for a pipeline across the border, President Trump is going to include a "Made in the USA" mandate as a condition of his approval -- even for an 80 mile segment of a pipeline between Williston, North Dakota and the Canadian border.
And yet another energy company that wants to build a pipeline along a 1600+ mile route between Williston, ND and Port Arthur, Texas is free to use materials from any source they wish -- foreign or domestic ... because the pipeline is entirely within the U.S.
This is the kind of idiocy I would have expected from the Obama administration. I never would have imagined that I'd see it right here on FreeRepublic.