The Center for Biological Diversity is heading to the courtroom to obtain records of how federal agencies are implementing President Donald Trump’s national “energy emergency” executive order.
On Tuesday, the conservation group filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act, asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to require the White House Office of Management and Budget to divulge agency reports detailing how they were complying with the president’s January directive.
“Americans have the right to know how the president is operating a shadowy operation to discard vital protections for endangered species and the nation’s wetlands,” said Ivan Ditmars, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.
Executive Order 14156 directs agencies, including the Interior Department and the Army Corps of Engineers, to use emergency powers to fast-track project approvals and boost the nation’s energy supply. The Trump administration has focused on advancing the nation’s production of oil, natural gas and coal, as it has moved away from supporting renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
