U.S. President Donald Trump signed executive orders last week to speed up the construction of transnational and national pipeline projects.

This comes after making promises on the campaign trail for the presidency to remove regulatory barriers to energy projects.

The orders are aimed at blunting the ability of environmental activists and state regulators to use the Clean Water Act to obstruct oil and gas pipeline projects. Such projects have been held back for years under court and regulatory challenges, and new orders from the President may do little to make real changes in the process without new laws from the Congress or the states.

"We expect little impact on projects pending in the near term," ClearView Energy Partners said in a note. "Although the orders may narrow the parameters of future reviews, substantial changes to the program and its timelines only appear to be achievable through Congressional action."