“This is just the latest in a long line of examples of President Trump illegally using his executive orders and administration to cater to his Big Oil campaign donors at the expense of our Great Lakes, our environment, and the people of Michigan.”

The lawsuit asks the court to declare the energy emergency order unlawful and stop federal officials from issuing permits on an emergency basis.

As of Monday morning, May 12, the administration had not filed a response to the lawsuit in court.

“The President of the United States has the authority to determine what is a national emergency, not state attorneys or the courts,” wrote a White House spokesperson in a statement. “President Trump recognizes that unleashing American energy is crucial to both our economic and national security.”

But Trump’s declaration of an “energy emergency” flies in the face of record U.S. oil and gas production, the states’ lawsuit claims. The U.S. has been a net energy exporter since 2019, and fossil fuel companies have said they won’t increase production in response to the order because it doesn’t make economic sense, according to the lawsuit.

The Trump executive order’s focus on energy sources like coal, oil, and gas also contradicts the nation’s goal of reliable and affordable energy, it claims. That’s because burning fossil fuels supercharges climate change, prompting more extreme weather and posing a threat to the electric grid, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit cites efforts by federal agencies to speed up project review and circumvent requirements of laws like the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and Historic National Preservation Act.