Trump Blindsided By 10 Entity Lawsuit Over Environmental Crimes

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The biggest difference between Republicans and Democrats is that the GOP cares about big business aka big money and the Dems care about people. That is why the Grand Old Party has been shrinking until they have substantially fewer voters. This is just one example of how Donald Trump has been showing people how that looks.

Ten environmental groups have banded together to sue the Trump White House to challenge the reversal of the 2016 Well Control and Blowout Preventer Rule. This safety regulation was meant to prevent what happened to the London-based multinational oil and gas company BP in the Gulf of Mexico, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster.

In 2010, BR had the largest marine oil spill in the history of the oil industry. This spill occurred offshore near New Orleans and reach 1,300 miles of shoreline. Eleven crew members on the oil rig were never found. It ruined most of the small businesses, estuaries, wildlife, and tourism along the coast and offshore.

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The groups involved in the lawsuit are, according to Earth Justice:

  1. ‘Earthjustice,
  2. Sierra Club,
  3. Natural Resources Defense Council
  4. Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of Sierra Club,
  5. Natural Resources Defense Council,
  6. Healthy Gulf,
  7. Center for Biological Diversity,
  8. Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Earth,
  9. North Carolina Coastal Federation, and
  10. South Carolina Coastal Conservation League.’

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These groups filed their lawsuit in the Northern District of California. They charged that Trump’s rollbacks of the safety rules challenged key safety rules including:

  1. ‘Weakening performance requirements for blowout preventers
  2. Eliminating the system of independent safety equipment inspectors
  3. Grandfathering existing drilling rigs into outdated blowout preventer standards
  4. Slashing safety equipment testing and inspection standards’

Earthjustice attorney Chris Easton said:

‘These rollbacks are a step back to the pre-Deepwater Horizon days when the offshore oil industry largely policed itself to disastrous effect. This attempt to roll the dice with offshore safety not only puts workers and our coasts at risk, but violates the law.’

Screen-Shot-2019-06-11-at-12.46.13-PM Trump Blindsided By 10 Entity Lawsuit Over Environmental Crimes Activism Animal Rights Corruption Crime Domestic Policy Donald Trump Economy Environment Politics Top Stories Executive Director of Healthy Gulf Cynthis Sarthous said:

“On the Gulf Coast, these safety standards have very real implications for workers, the environment and our coastal economy. This administration claims the cost is a ‘burden’ to one of the most profitable industries in the world. That is not a sound justification to rollback these necessary safeguards enacted to prevent another catastrophic blowout like the BP disaster.’

Director of Strategic Engagement at the Natural Resources Defense Council Bob Dean said:

‘The well control rule was one of the most important measures we took, as a nation, to reduce the risk of another BP-style disaster at sea. The 2016 rule enhanced worker safety, the integrity of equipment inspections and the monitoring of critical operations and tests. Weakening those protections to boost industry profits puts our workers, waters and wildlife at needless risk. We’re fighting to restore these commonsense safeguards and standing up for all they protect.’

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Senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity Kristen Monsell noted:

‘We can’t let the Trump administration make dirty offshore drilling even more dangerous. By ignoring the lessons of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Trump is making the next catastrophic oil spill far more likely. Rolling back safety standards while trying to aggressively expand offshore drilling just boggles the mind. So we’re asking the court to step in to protect workers, wildlife, coastal communities and our climate.’

Senior Oceans Campaigner for Friends of the Earth Hallie Templeton explained:

‘The Trump Administration has taken every opportunity to chip away at standards put in place to protect our environment and coastal communities. Big Oil’s pursuit of profits have driven Trump’s safety rollback and it is a prime example of why we must remain vigilant to ensure that federal agencies are complying with the law every step of the way.’

Sierra Club Senior Attorney Devorah Ancel said:

‘In seeking to eliminate these common-sense standards, the Trump administration is putting workers in harm’s way and threatening coastal communities with another devastating oil spill. We will continue to fight back against this unlawful attempt to give the fossil fuel industry free rein to spoil our coasts and public waters.’

Defenders of Wildlife attorney Jane Davenport explained:

‘The Trump administration’s dismantling of the safety regulations put in place to prevent another Deepwater Horizon catastrophe is improper, imprudent and — most importantly — illegal. This suit is about standing up to the fossil fuel industry on behalf of our invaluable ocean and marine wildlife heritage.’

Catherine Wannamaker of the Southern Environmental Law Center said:

‘Removing airbags and seatbelts from cars doesn’t make them safer. Likewise, erasing the safety rules put in place after Deepwater Horizon makes risky offshore drilling more dangerous. This Trump administration rollback makes no sense.’