Washington, D.C. — The Center for American Progress is launching a new website dedicated to tracking and analyzing legal challenges to the Trump administration’s anti-conservation agenda.
The Law of the Land Project shines a spotlight on lawsuits that have been filed in federal court against the administration, with a focus on legal battles over America’s bedrock conservation laws, energy development on public lands, and transparency at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
“The Trump administration is trying to systematically dismantle the laws and commonsense rules that guide the stewardship of America’s public lands and waters,” said Matt Lee-Ashley, a senior fellow and the senior director of Environmental Strategy and Communications at the Center for American Progress. “For local communities, tribal nations, businesses, and all of America’s public land owners, the courts have become the last line of defense against the Trump administration’s reckless attack on our nation’s conservation heritage.”
The Law of the Land Project website will provide regular updates on ongoing cases and analyze trends and common themes that are emerging from court challenges. The site already tracks more than a dozen lawsuits challenging actions including Trump’s effort to reduce the size of national monuments, the rollback of fracking regulations, and efforts to repeal protections for sage grouse habitat.
The outcomes of the 19 cases highlighted by the project so far could affect the land management of nearly 300,000 square miles of U.S. public lands and waters—an area larger than the state of Texas.
The cases involve nearly 100 plaintiffs who have filed challenges in six states and the District of Columbia. The plaintiffs include businesses, tribal nations, scientists, states, watchdog organizations, and conservation groups, all of whom are seeking to hold the Trump administration accountable to the law of the land and protect America’s public lands.
Click here to visit the website.
For more information or to talk to an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected] or 202-478-6327.