15 US States Sue Trump Over Emergency Energy Order Bypassing Environmental Laws
WASHINGTON — Fifteen U.S. states filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order that invokes emergency powers to expedite oil and gas development, arguing that the measure unlawfully circumvents crucial environmental protections.
The lawsuit, submitted in a federal court in Washington state, targets the executive order issued on Trump’s first day in office, which declared a “national energy emergency.” The order directs federal agencies to fast-track fossil fuel projects using emergency measures like the Defense Production Act and eminent domain.
Attorneys general from the suing states contend that the directive improperly allows federal agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers and the Interior Department, to bypass required environmental reviews under the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.
California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta criticized the order, calling it an unlawful overreach of presidential powers. “This is just another unlawful directive from the president,” Bonta stated.
The White House defended the order, stressing that prioritizing U.S. energy independence is vital for both national security and economic growth, asserting that such declarations of national emergencies are within the president’s authority.
The states involved in the lawsuit seek to have the order invalidated and block the use of emergency permitting for projects that fail to meet the criteria for a national emergency.
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