SEATTLE — Washington state, along with 14 other states, has filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s declaration of a “national energy emergency,” which they argue is a ploy to benefit Big Oil by bypassing environmental protections.
On Inauguration Day, Trump declared the emergency under the National Emergencies Act, a move critics say is intended to circumvent laws such as the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Historic National Preservation Act. These laws are crucial for safeguarding the environment, public health, and culturally significant sites, particularly those sacred to tribes in Washington.
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Washington Attorney General Nick Brown says that even though U.S. energy production is at an all-time high, the president’s order aims to increase exports, potentially raising prices for American consumers.
The order also excludes renewable energy sources like wind and solar, focusing instead on fossil fuels.
Brown stated, “The president’s attempt to bypass important environmental protections is illegal and would cause immense harm to Washingtonians. This won’t lower prices, increase our energy supply, or make our country safer.”
Casey Sixkiller, director of the Washington Department of Ecology, added, “Environmental regulations exist because we’ve seen what happens when they don’t. The federal administration is proposing an end-run that ignores the hard lessons of the past. These protections aren’t red tape — they’re guardrails that protect our air, water, land, and keep our families safe.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, names President Trump, the head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation as defendants.
Joining Washington Attorney General Brown and California Attorney General Rob Bonta in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
The attorneys general are seeking a court declaration that the president’s directive and its implementation are illegal, and an injunction to prevent the issuance of emergency permits under the executive order.
