President Trump Kept This One Obama Regulation Because It Makes Approving Pipelines Easier

A new regulation from the Army Corps of Engineers that streamlines the permitting process for some projects, including some pipeline crossings, won an exemption from the White House freeze on regulation, according to a report.

The exemption — reported by Politico — will allow the rule to take effect on March 19. The modified “nationwide permits” program was finalized in early January but was subject to Trump’s freeze on regulations that had not taken yet effect. An old version of the rule was set to expire this year and the exemption will save projects from unexpected delays that would have occurred had the old rule expired.

The nationwide permits regulation was used in several places along the Dakota Access Pipeline, though it did not apply for the contentious crossing near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

Trump has made expediting approval of energy infrastructure a priority of his administration signing executive orders intended to do just that. Still, in at least one case he has inadvertently slowed the process.