ANKARA

Fifteen US states filed suit Friday challenging an executive order by President Donald Trump that invokes emergency powers to speed up oil and gas development, arguing that it violates key environmental protections.

The lawsuit, submitted in a federal court in the northwestern state of Washington, targets an order issued by Trump on his first day in office declaring a “national energy emergency.” The order directs federal agencies to fast-track fossil fuel projects using measures such as the Defense Production Act and eminent domain, according to CBS News.

Attorneys general from the suing states say the directive unlawfully allows agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers and the Interior Department to bypass reviews required by the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, two cornerstone pieces of environmental legislation.

“The shortcuts inherent in rushing through emergency processes fundamentally undermine the rights of States,” the lawsuit argued.

Rob Bonta, the attorney general for California, said the directive was “just another unlawful directive from the president, this time acting well beyond the scope of his emergency powers.”

The White House defended the order, saying, “President Trump recognizes that unleashing American energy is crucial to both our economic and national security,” adding that determining national emergencies is within presidential authority.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to void the order and block the use of emergency permitting for projects that do not meet emergency criteria.