On May 9, 2025, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown led a coalition of 15 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to challenge the “energy emergency” President Trump declared on Inauguration Day under the National Emergencies Act. Congress passed the National Emergencies Act to prevent presidents from declaring national emergencies for frivolous or partisan matters.

Until Donald Trump’s order, federal agencies have only used emergency procedures during actual emergencies such as hurricanes and catastrophic oil spills — for example, the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, where lives were at risk. Now agencies are acting under emergency procedures and bypassing or shortening critical reviews for fossil fuel energy projects under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Historic National Preservation Act. These laws play a critical role protecting the environment and human health and protecting American heritage and places sacred to native and indigenous tribes across the country. Additionally, the complaint lays out that the laws being used to expedite permits for these projects do not actually provide legal authorization to issue expedited permits on an emergency basis as is being done here.

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. We’re back in court to hold him accountable. Attorney General Nick Brown