President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed executive orders to advance construction of the Dakota Access pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline.
Reactions vary in Wisconsin on the two controversial pipelines.
Scott Manley with Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce sees the action as a boon for the economy and consumers. “What really benefits us is, in addition to lower gas prices, I think the price stability will be helpful,” Manley said.
Manley also said that Wisconsin contractors could benefit. “Probably the biggest imprint that this will make on Wisconsin’s economy is with respect to contractors like Michels that specialize in pipeline construction.”
Keith Reopelle with Clean Wisconsin sees the president’s actions as a step back. “He’s really embracing the old, dirty fuels of the past rather than turning to clean energy sources of the future, and that’s very unfortunate,” Reopelle said.
“In general the fossil fuel industries have been in decline for a long time, and that’s because they’re becoming less and less competitive. There are more jobs in this country in the solar industry then there are in the oil and coal industries put together.”