Trump Pipeline Protests: Bernie Sanders Vows To ‘Stop These Pipelines,' Block Keystone, Dakota Construction

President Donald Trump’s latest executive orders to advance the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines drew immediate sharp criticism from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the most vocal opponents in Washington, D.C., on the construction of both controversial projects.

Sanders vowed to continue his fight against the president by doing “everything I can to stop these pipelines and protect our planet for future generations."

"Millions of people came together all over this country to stop the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines and say we must transform our energy system away from fossil fuels to renewable energy," Sanders wrote in a statement on Trump’s executive orders sent to International Business Times. "Today, President Trump ignored the voices of millions and put the short-term profits of the fossil fuel industry ahead of the future of our planet."

Trump’s orders allow for both pipelines halted by former President Barack Obama’s administration to resume construction across the U.S., both of which will carry some of the largest transports of fossil fuels throughout the nation on a daily basis. Protesters were active during Obama’s final months in office, demanding the White House stop the Dakota Access pipeline after Native American tribes reported the project was being built on ancient sacred grounds.

Sanders wrote an open letter to Obama in October urging him to stop the pipeline production. "It is deeply distressing to me that the federal government is putting the profits of the oil industry ahead of the treaty and sovereign rights of Native American communities… Mr. President, you took a bold and principled stand against the Keystone pipeline – I ask you to take a similar stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline," the letter read.

Obama's administration rejected the Keystone Pipeline in 2015 and the Dakota Access pipeline on Dec. 4 in a surprise move celebrated by activists across the nation.

Now, as Trump plans to go forth with both pipelines as he said he would do throughout his campaign, Sanders has stepped up his promise to stand with Americans who oppose the production of both controversial projects.

"At a time when the scientific community is virtually unanimous in telling us that climate change is real, it is caused by human activity and it is already causing devastating problems, we cannot afford to build new oil pipelines that lock us into burning fossil fuels for years to come," Sanders continued. "I will do everything I can to stop these pipelines and protect our planet for future generations."