President Donald Trump signed executive orders Tuesday giving the go-ahead for the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines.
Both projects were blocked by the Obama administration due in part to environmental concerns.
The orders will have an immediate effect in North Dakota, where pipeline construction company Energy Transfer Partners is planning to lay the final stretch of the 1,172-mile Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline is set to carry oil through South Dakota and Iowa to refineries in Illinois, the Associated Press reported.
Construction of the North Dakota Access pipeline was halted amid contentious protest by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and environmentalists who argue the project would contaminate drinking water and Native American sites.
Trump's order on the Keystone XL pipeline reverses actions by President Obama, who barred its construction over concerns that it would contribute to climate change.
The Keystone XL pipeline is planned to run from Canada to American oil refineries in the Gulf Coast.
Trump has argued the revival of the pipeline projects would embolden the U.S. energy sector and contribute to job growth.
The president on Tuesday signed five total orders, which included measures to require materials for the pipelines to be constructed in the United Staes and to expedite environmental reviews for infrastructure projects.