[ECO]Environmental Groups Against Trump

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Many environmental groups against Trump are mobilizing legal defenses to fight expected rollbacks of environmental protections and expansion of fossil fuel development.

Environmental groups against Trump are mobilizing their resources and legal teams in anticipation of rapid policy changes if Donald Trump returns to office, drawing on their experience fighting his previous administration’s environmental agenda in court.

The organizations expect Trump to move more aggressively than in his first term to expand fossil fuel development, reduce protected federal lands, and dismantle key climate legislation passed under President Joe Biden.

Trump’s early Cabinet selections signal his priorities. He named North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, an advocate for increased domestic oil production, as his choice for Interior Secretary. For Energy Secretary, Trump selected oil industry CEO Chris Wright, reinforcing his stated intention to “drill, drill, drill,” as expressed in a December Fox News interview with Sean Hannity.

During Trump’s previous term, the Brookings Institution documented at least 74 actions that weakened environmental protections. Environmental advocates predict an even higher number of regulatory changes in a second term, citing Trump’s campaign promises to fundamentally reshape environmental policy.

“I think the thing that we’re preparing for more is sort of the potential aggressiveness and disregard for the rule of law,” said Brett Hartl, who directs government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity. The organization will scrutinize policy changes for actions “that are just simply, plainly ********.”

Environmental groups against Trump have already demonstrated their effectiveness in challenging his policies through litigation. The Center for Biological Diversity filed 266 lawsuits during Trump’s presidency and prevailed in 87% of cases, according to their records. Notable victories included blocking Arctic offshore drilling and maintaining endangered species protections for grizzly bears.

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(NRDC) achieved similar success, winning nearly 90% of its 163 lawsuits against the administration. Both organizations are currently fundraising to support anticipated legal challenges, featuring prominent donation appeals on their websites.

Despite Trump’s public rejection of Project 2025, environmental groups believe his administration will likely follow this conservative policy blueprint developed by the Heritage Foundation. The document outlines plans for “American Energy Dominance” by ending what it terms a “war on oil and natural gas.” It advocates eliminating federal climate research and repealing Biden-era renewable energy funding initiatives.

“We’re already seeing people involved in Project 2025 being appointed to the administration,” said Andrew Wetzler, who leads the NRDC’s nature program. “And when you look at that, it’s really quite alarming from the broadest climate perspective.”

Legal advocacy organizations are working to protect existing environmental programs. Lawyers for Good Government is helping recipients of the Inflation Reduction Act clean energy grants secure their funding before any potential policy changes.

“We worked with a lot of the federal grantees who either have gotten the money or are announced to receive money,” explained Jillian Blanchard, who directs the organization’s climate change and environmental justice program. Her team assists clients in expediting payments and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Conservation groups are particularly concerned about the fate of protected federal lands in the Southwest. Environmental groups against Trump previously fought his reduction of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah by more than one million acres, an action that was later reversed by President Biden in 2021.

Advocates expect both Bears Ears and Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to face similar threats under a second Trump administration. “We’re expecting on day one that these national monuments could be dismantled,” said Ethan Aumack, executive director of the Grand Canyon Trust. His organization has developed response plans to contest any attempts to reduce these protected areas.

The environmental groups’ preparations reflect their experience during Trump’s first term and their assessment of his campaign statements, indicating an even more ambitious agenda to reshape environmental policy. Their strategy combines proactive measures to protect existing programs with readiness to mount legal challenges against policy changes they view as harmful or ********.

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These organizations are drawing on their successful track record of using litigation to defend environmental protections. Their previous legal victories demonstrate the effectiveness of court challenges in maintaining conservation measures and environmental regulations, even when facing broad administrative opposition.

The anticipated scope of environmental policy changes has prompted these groups to begin preparations well in advance of any potential transition. Their focus spans multiple fronts: protecting clean energy funding, preserving public lands, defending endangered species protections, and maintaining climate research programs.

Trump’s transition team has not responded to requests for comment on these preparations by environmental groups against Trump. However, his campaign statements and early personnel choices align with expectations of significant shifts in federal environmental policy, particularly regarding fossil fuel development and public land management.

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