President-elect Donald Trump nominated U.S. Army veteran and billionaire businessman Vincent "Vinnie" Viola as secretary of the Army, a role with direct oversight of the $3.78 billion Dakota Access pipeline. Viola is a West Point graduate who owns the Florida Panthers hockey team and founded the high-frequency trading firm Virtu Financial Inc. He also served as chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange from 2001 to 2004. If confirmed, Viola could be called upon under the incoming Trump administration to reverse the Obama administration's decision to withhold a key permit for the 1,172-mile Dakota Access oil pipeline. The president-elect has suggested he would approve both the Dakota Access pipeline and the controversial Keystone XL project when he takes office.
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