Environmental protection laws still apply even under Trump’s national energy emergency − here’s why

Part of the Line 5 pipeline carrying crude oil from Canada to the U.S. runs underwater in the Straits of Mackinac, between two of the Great Lakes. Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy via AP

In response to President Donald Trump’s declaration of a “national energy emergency,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently listed hundreds of energy and infrastructure projects that would be eligible for fast-track permitting.

The projects, which include oil pipelines, natural gas power plants and mining projects, were already under review. But the possibility of accelerated permitting raised concerns that without effective oversight, the projects might be allowed to alter or destroy hundreds of acres of wetlands or risk contamination of drinking water sources.