The Justice Department’s environmental division is increasingly playing offense and taking states to court in the second Trump administration—a shift from its historical defensive role, the department’s head told Bloomberg Law in an interview.
“We’re bringing more litigation against states than we ever have before,” said Adam Gustafson, head of DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “And we’ve been criticized for that, but it’s really because the states are doing things that they’ve never done before.”
The new cases—which Gustafson said represent “some of our highest priority work”—are being prompted by the national energy emergency President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office, Gustafson said.
The offensive posture is uncommon for the environmental division, which historically has spent most of its resources defending agency rulemakings and working toward settlements, according to Andrew Mergen, a 33-year ENRD veteran.
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The Justice Department’s environmental division is increasingly playing offense and taking states to court in the second Trump administration—a shift from its historical defensive role, the department’s head told Bloomberg Law in an interview.
“We’re bringing more litigation against states than we ever have before,” said Adam Gustafson, head of DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “And we’ve been criticized for that, but it’s really because the states are doing things that they’ve never done before.”
The new cases—which Gustafson said represent “some of our highest priority work”—are being prompted by the national energy emergency President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office, Gustafson said.
The offensive posture is uncommon for the environmental division, which historically has spent most of its resources defending agency rulemakings and working toward settlements, according to Andrew Mergen, a 33-year ENRD veteran.
Read more in the full story [here](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/trump-doj-pivots-to-playing-offense-on-environment-chief-says?utm_source=reddit.com&utm_medium=lawdesk).
-Elliot