As we learn more about just exactly what Trump's executive orders from Tuesday actually did or did not do, we now know that he did not in fact approve Keystone XL or Dakota Access as stated here yesterday, he only succeeded in confusing a lot of us on this matter.

According to some clarifying remarks by Duncan Meisel of 350.org:

• On Dakota Access, he told the Army Corps of Engineers that the pipeline is in our "national interest" and told them to "consider" revoking the environmental review placed on it by the Obama Administration.
• On Keystone XL, he invited TransCanada to re-apply and if they do, mandated a final decision on the pipeline within 60 days and waived input from environmental agencies.  However, according to Meisel, if and when they do re-apply, they no longer have valid permits in Nebraska and their permits in South Dakota are being challenged.
• Trump also placed conditions on approval of both pipelines, like limiting oil exports and determining where the steel comes from, that the oil companies might not choose to accept.

While not exactly reassuring, it's better than an "approval," which he may or may not even have the final authority to do.  But as we're learning, even without approval authority, Trump will still devise ways to wreck the planet and destroy the economy, like with today's proposed 20% tax on all Mexican imports, and possibly all imports

In slightly related news, the photo above is from NASA's new weather satellite, showing what a little science can actually produce when given the chance.  It's been announced that all new scientific research by EPA will have to be reviewed and cleared by political appointees before it can be released to the public, which is ironic given that Trump ran a campaign that routinely blasted "political correctness" but is now mandating that science be politically correct before it can shared with the public.

Hypocrites.