Washington has joined a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging the federal government is reducing state government authority in determining whether a building project will affect water quality.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in California, is being brought on behalf of 20 states and Washington, D.C., alleging a federal rule taking effect Sept. 11 will reduce the ability of local governments to review federal building plans for energy infrastructure projects for potential conflicts with water pollution laws. A significant majority of the states that joined the lawsuit are governed by Democrats, but the Republican-led states of Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont also are part of the legal action.
The Trump administration says the new rule will speed up the construction of projects that include dams, natural gas pipelines and storage facilities for U.S.-harvested coal headed to foreign markets.
“Instead of protecting the environment, this administration is yielding to polluting industries and undermining a key tool states use to protect their water,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a frequent opponent of President Donald Trump in court, said in a statement.