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Trump told reporters in Washington that movement on the pipelines will be subject to terms and conditions being renegotiated by the U.S.

He stopped short of green lighting construction on either project, and reiterated an earlier campaign pledge to seek a "better deal" on TransCanada Corp.'s proposed Keystone XL to transport Alberta oil sands crude into the U.S., Bloomberg News reported.

The Keystone XL would run from Canada to Steele City in Nebraska, where it would meet up with an existing pipeline network connected to U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast.

Both the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines proved to be flashpoints for climate activists who fought the projects with protests and lawsuits.

In Nebraska, the Keystone XL was bogged down by court battles over the underground pipeline's route and efforts by TransCanada to get easements through use of eminent domain.

Former President Barack Obama stopped the proposed Keystone XL in late 2015, declaring it would undercut U.S. efforts to clinch a global climate change deal that was a centerpiece of his environmental legacy. TransCanada needed presidential approval because it was to cross the U.S.-Canadian border.

Bold Alliance President Jane Kleeb said activists will continue to fight it and the Dakota Access project. Bold Alliance's predecessor, Bold Nebraska, made a name for itself fighting the Keystone XL and has now expanded to other states.

Kleeb also is chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic Party.

“Nebraska farmers and ranchers need a president standing up for property rights and our clean water to produce American food," she said in a statement. "The president should focus on American energy independence rather than taking land away from farmers using eminent domain for private gain.�

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts cheered the move by Trump, saying the Keystone XL will create good-paying jobs for Nebraska workers and bring property tax relief to counties along the route.

"Today’s decision represents years of extensive environmental reviews that confirm Keystone XL complies with federal safety and environmental standards," he said. "With the federal approval process complete, state regulators must now work through the process in Nebraska to conduct their own thorough consideration of the project."

The new president's executive action invited TransCanada to make a new application for a cross-border permit, a process that is overseen by the U.S. State Department. Trump waived a 15-day notification period and ordered the State Department to make a decision on whether building the Keystone XL is in the nation's interest within 60 days of TransCanada submitting its application.

TransCanada thanked Trump and said in a statement Tuesday it is preparing the paperwork.

"KXL creates thousands of well-paying construction jobs and would generate tens of millions of dollars in annual property taxes to counties along the route as well as more than $3 billion to the U.S. GDP," company spokesman Terry Cunha said. "KXL represents the safest, most environmentally sound way to connect the American economy to an abundant energy resource."

Construction of the 1,179-mile Keystone XL could still be years off, and activists have pledged to fight it every inch of the way.

“Donald Trump is a con man and this is a con on a massive scale. We’ll fight it with everything we’ve got. We’ll fight it in the courts and we’ll fight it in the streets,” said Bill McKibben, co-founder of the national activist group .

In Nebraska, TransCanada still needs an approved route, plus authorization to use eminent domain here. That would have to go through the Nebraska Public Service Commission and could take as long as a year.

Public Service Commission spokeswoman Deb Collins said TransCanada has not filed a new application with the five-member elected board.

Pipeline opponents allege that TransCanada would have to wait until September to restart the process because state law requires the company to wait two years from when it previously abandoned eminent domain proceedings.Ìý

Republican Rep. Adrian Smith of GeringÌýsaid a majority of Nebraskans want to see the Keystone XL completed as a long-term solution for transporting affordable crude oil.

“The Obama administration put Keystone XL on hold for years for political reasons, despite bipartisan support for the project and its own State Department determining it to be safe,� Smith said. “As the need for reliable energy sources grows, I prefer moving more oil safely through dedicated pipelines rather than increasing surface transport demand on existing infrastructure."

The U.S. Department of State referred a request for comment to the White House.

In the case of the Dakota Access project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declined late last year to allow construction beneath Lake Oahe in North Dakota, saying alternative routes needed to be considered. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and its supporters say the project threatens drinking water and Native American sites, but Energy Transfer Partners, the company that wants to build the pipeline, says the pipeline will be safe.

The pipeline is to carry North Dakota oil through South Dakota and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois.

Trump has moved swiftly this week to make good on some core campaign pledges he says are aimed at creating jobs and growing the economy. On Monday, he signed a memorandum withdrawing the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, a proposed accord with 11 Pacific Rim countries and another of Obama's prized accomplishments.

"Great thing for the American worker what we just did," Trump said as he signed the order in the Oval Office.