Fifteen states sue Trump administration over fast-tracking of oil and gas projects

Fifteen U.S. states filed a lawsuit on May 9 against the Trump administration, accusing it of unlawfully bypassing key environmental protections in an effort to expedite oil and gas projects under the guise of a “national energy emergency.”

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Washington state, challenges an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office, which declares a national emergency in the energy sector, Caliber.Az reports, citing American media.

The order invokes sweeping federal powers under the Defence Production Act and the use of eminent domain to facilitate fossil fuel infrastructure projects—tools typically reserved for acute crises like natural disasters or wartime shortages.

Attorneys general from the plaintiff states—mostly led by Democratic governors—argue that the administration is sidestepping federal statutes such as the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act by fast-tracking permits for oil and gas developments without adequate environmental review. Agencies named in the suit include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior.

“The President of the United States has the authority to determine what constitutes a national emergency, not state attorneys or the courts,” said Trump administration spokesperson Beth Rogers in response to the lawsuit. “President Trump recognises that unleashing American energy is crucial to both our economic and national security.”

But the plaintiff states counter that the executive order sets a dangerous precedent by treating ordinary energy projects as emergencies to avoid thorough environmental oversight.

“This Executive Order is unlawful, and its directive that federal agencies disregard legal requirements and internal regulations to fast-track extensive categories of activities will result in damage to waters, wetlands, endangered species, critical habitats, and the people and wildlife who depend on them,” the complaint states.

The attorneys general emphasised that while they support reliable and affordable energy, current U.S. energy production is already at historic highs. They warn that undermining environmental safeguards through emergency declarations not only threatens ecosystems but also violates the states’ rights to enforce their own environmental standards, particularly concerning water quality, which is protected under the Clean Water Act.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, one of the leading plaintiffs, described the executive order as “yet another unlawful directive from the President, this time acting well beyond the scope of his emergency powers.”

The lawsuit asks a federal judge to invalidate the executive order and to block federal agencies from using emergency procedures to approve non-emergency fossil fuel projects.

By Tamilla Hasanova