Hours following the statement, the Trump transition team also announced that the real estate mogul has sold his stake in the company spearheading the project, Energy Transfer Partners. In the president-elect’s most recent financial disclosures, he owned between $15,000 and $50,000 of the company’s stock. CNBC reports that it’s still unclear if he also sold shares of Phillips 66, who owns a small investment in the pipeline.
Following months of protests from the Native American community in North Dakota and activists from across the states, the Army Corps of Engineers denied the company a key permit needed to build the project under Lake Oahe, initiating an environmental review.
The project will now land on the next president’s desk, and on Monday, spokesman for the Trump transition team, Jason Miller, announced that his administration still supports the pipeline.
Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren also donated $100,000 to the Republican’s fundraising effort, according to Federal Election Commission records. Still, his transition team promises that this will not at all influence his decisions once he takes office.
