WA leads multi-state lawsuit against Trump's energy emergency declaration
SEATTLE - Washington, along with 14 other states, filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging President Donald Trump's declaration of a "national energy emergency," which they claim is designed to benefit the oil industry at the expense of environmental protections.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, argues that the president's use of the National Emergencies Act is unwarranted and bypasses critical environmental reviews mandated by the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Historic National Preservation Act. These laws are essential for safeguarding the environment, public health, and culturally significant sites, particularly those sacred to tribes in Washington.
The backstory:
President Trump announced the "energy emergency" on Inauguration Day, directing federal agencies to expedite energy projects by circumventing standard review processes. Critics argue that this move is not justified by current energy production levels, which are at an all-time high, and that it primarily serves to bolster fossil fuel industries while excluding renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
"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," said Washington Attorney General Nick Brown. "We’re back in court to hold him accountable."
US President Donald Trump takes questions outside the West Wing of White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2025. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Casey Sixkiller, director of the Washington Department of Ecology, emphasized the importance of existing environmental regulations.
"Environmental regulations exist because we’ve seen what happens when they don’t," Sixkiller said. "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 names President Trump, the head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation as defendants, alleging that they have taken illegal actions to implement the president's directive.
The attorneys general involved in the lawsuit are seeking a court declaration that the directive is illegal and an injunction to prevent the issuance of emergency permits under the executive order.
Joining Washington Attorney General Brown and California Attorney General Rob Bonta in the lawsuit are the attorneys general from Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
The Source: Information in this story came from
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