Attorney General Neronha joins coalition to challenge Trump’s fake “energy emergency”

"Under this executive order, fossil fuel producers would be allowed to extract from anywhere they see fit while bypassing important environmental and historical reviews..."

From a press release:

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha joined a coalition of 15 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the President’s false “energy emergency,” declared to line the pockets of Big Oil by handing out free passes to pollute the environment.

President Donald Trump declared a “national energy emergency” under the National Emergencies Act on Inauguration Day. Congress passed the National Emergencies Act in 1976 to prevent presidents from declaring national emergencies for frivolous or partisan matters — exactly what the President has done here.

“We know that this President has a very tenuous relationship with the truth, so it should come as no surprise that he fabricated an ‘emergency’ to get his way,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Here’s the truth: if we don’t do everything within our power to address climate change, including spearheading the transition to clean and renewable energy sources, future generations will suffer the irreparable consequences. Under this executive order, fossil fuel producers would be allowed to extract from anywhere they see fit while bypassing important environmental and historical reviews, thereby disrupting and destroying the land and habitats of Americans and wildlife alike. We must stop the illegal, unnecessary actions of this President before it’s too late.”

At the direction of the President, federal agencies are bypassing or shortening critical reviews under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Historic National Preservation Act for energy projects. These laws play a critical role in protecting the environment and human health.

Energy production in the United States is at an all-time high. The country produces so much oil and natural gas that energy companies do not plan to increase output in response to the President’s order. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the President is simultaneously seeking to increase exports, which will increase prices for American consumers.

Here, the only emergency is the declaration of an “emergency.” The President is illegally using emergency authorities to keep the nation reliant on energy sources like coal, oil, and gas. The order excludes wind, solar, and batteries, among the cheapest and cleanest modern energy sources that exist today. The end goal is clear: eliminate the competition so his oil and gas donors can keep gouging Rhode Islanders and polluting the state in the process.

Until now, 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 act under emergency procedures only due to the President’s order.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, names as defendants President Donald Trump, the head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Both agencies have taken illegal action to implement the President’s directive.

The attorneys general ask the court to declare the President’s directive and the agencies’ implementation illegal and stop them from issuing emergency permits under the executive order.

In filing this lawsuit, Attorney General Neronha joins attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.