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Dear NRDC Supporter,
NRDC and our partners just filed our first lawsuit against the Trump administration. Trump's executive order to repeal permanent protections from offshore oil drilling for 625 millions acres of U.S. waters breaks federal law—so we’re suing.
On Trump's very first day back in office, he wasted no time making good on campaign promises to his Big Oil billionaire donors: He signed an executive order that would illegally open large swaths of the Atlantic, Pacific, eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska's Beaufort, Bering, and Chukchi Seas to offshore oil drilling. So our litigation team raced to court to stop this attack.
This is just the beginning. The Trump administration is launching a full-scale assault on our environment — rolling back protections, pushing fossil fuel expansion, and doing everything in its power to serve corporate polluter allies.
But NRDC is built for this fight. We've beaten Trump before, and we know we can do it again.
NRDC's legal team is one of the most powerful forces for environmental protection in the country. When the first Trump administration tried this exact move in 2017 — revoking protections for massive stretches of U.S. waters — we sued. And we won. The court ruled that the president does not have the power to unilaterally erase permanent ocean protections. That victory helped keep Big Oil out of some of our most fragile marine ecosystems.
Now, we're taking Trump to court again. And we’re counting on the support of our members to back us up.
Please make a gift today to defend our environment on all fronts and help NRDC's legal team fight in court to block Trump’s brazen attempt to auction off our oceans to the highest bidder — for as long as it takes to win.
Trump's executive order is not just a threat to our coastal waters and the communities and wildlife that depend on them for survival. It's a massive fossil fuel giveaway to Big Oil billionaires—one that will have devastating consequences for marine wildlife, coastal communities, and our climate.
If Trump succeeds, here's what could happen next:
- Seismic blasting that threatens whales and marine life: Already critically endangered species like the North Atlantic right whale—of which fewer than 350 remain — could be pushed closer to extinction. Seismic airguns used to search for oil can deafen whales, disrupt migration, and interfere with their ability to find food.
- Offshore drilling that pollutes waters and devastates fragile ecosystems: From the Arctic's Beaufort and Chukchi Seas to deep-sea coral reefs in the Atlantic, drilling could bring devastating spills, toxic pollution, and habitat destruction. Threatened wildlife like polar bears and cherished public lands like the Arctic Refuge would never recover from an oil catastrophe.
- More fossil fuel extraction that brings us closer to climate disaster: Expanding offshore drilling will generate even more dangerous carbon pollution and accelerate runaway climate change. We don't need more oil and gas. America is already producing climate-busting fossil fuels at a record pace. We need to transition away from dirty energy — now.
This isn’t just about one lawsuit. It's about defending our oceans, our climate, and our future against the Trump administration’s entire anti-environmental agenda.
We know what's coming next: more rollbacks, more fossil fuel handouts, and more legal battles to fight. This moment is critical for our environment — and so is your support.
This is just the beginning of our legal action to stop the Trump administration's anti-environmental agenda. Our oceans, our climate, and our future depend on what we do right now. I hope you’ll stand with us.
Sincerely,
Taryn Kiekow Heimer
Director, Ocean Energy, NRDC
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