President Donald Trump reversed course on the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
The president signed executive orders Tuesday allowing construction of the pipelines to move forward, after the Obama Administration blocked them.
Both pipelines generate heavily divided opinions between environmentalists and those who want the country to be less dependent on foreign oil.
"If they'd like, we'll see if we can get that pipeline built, a lot of jobs, 28,000 jobs, great construction jobs,” said President Trump.
Trump’s signatures allow construction to resume, and also resumes controversy surrounding them.
"We're ready to fight, not only in the plains of Nebraska, which Trump loves to talk about during his inaugural address, but we are also prepared to fight in the court," said Jane Kleeb, Bold Nebraska.
While activists, like Kleeb, say the environmental risks of either pipeline outweigh benefits, others like Governor Pete Ricketts disagrees.
"Keystone XL will create good-paying jobs for Nebraska workers and bring property tax relief to counties along the route,” Ricketts said in a statement. “This decision represents years of extensive environmental reviews that confirm Keystone XL complies with federal safety and environmental standards."
Doug McKay of Millard says the environmental risks are too high for either pipeline, he doesn't agree with President Trump's decision.
"I think he's doing it without really thinking more about the environmental impact here in the Midwest,” McKay said. “It's good for the oil refinery resources, at that end of the deal, but it's not helping us here in this state."
Tom Wise agrees and doesn't want either pipeline built.
"I think it's going to be really interesting especially in respect to the Keystone Pipeline,” Wise said. “It was really a court decision that stopped the development of the pipeline, and it seems to me that it will have to be a court decision that allows it to be developed again."
KMTV reached out to TransCanada, who is trying to build the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada through Nebraska to the Gulf Coast for comment on the president's action. they did not respond to us about President Trump's decision.
