Democratic State Attorneys General sue Trump to stop his energy emergency
15 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump Friday in an attempt to stop his National Energy Emergency, which they said was an illegal effort to ignore regulations and speed up permitting for oil and natural gas development.
The Democratic state attorneys general from California, Washington, and New York said that using emergency powers to bypass the normal permitting process for hundreds of projects would cause irreparable damage to natural and historical resources and undermine drinking water and wildlife habitat.
In the lawsuit filed in Seattle Federal Court, the plaintiffs seek a court order that declares the executive order of January 20, declaring a state of national emergency, unlawful, and that attempts to implement it by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) and Advisory Council on Historic Preservations (ACHP) are in violation of administrative law. The lawsuit also seeks to injunct the Army Corps of Engineers and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) from using emergency procedures for granting permits for energy projects.
The White House didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.
Trump, who is a Republican and a former presidential candidate, declared an energy emergency in the United States on his first official day. He claimed that the production and development of critical minerals and energy did not meet the needs of the country. Trump instructed the leaders of government agencies that they should use emergency powers in order to accelerate permitting and remove obstructions to energy production.
The U.S. is producing energy at near-record levels. However, the U.S. demand for power is increasing due to AI adoption and development. The price of crude has dropped by around 20% in the last year and almost 50% since its recent peak.
Presidents can use emergency powers to access special authorities. This is commonly used during times of crisis. Trump declared a state of emergency in his first term, to combat the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Since taking office in January, Trump declared illegal immigration to be a national crisis. This was done to accelerate the construction of detention spaces and a border wall along the southern border. A bipartisan vote by the Senate nearly ended his use of a state of national emergency in order to impose tariffs on trade.
(source: Reuters)
