All parties involved in the fight over the Trump administration considering permits for seismic airgun blasting expected that lawsuits would fly if those permits for oil exploration in the Atlantic were granted.

The Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast and numbers of environmental groups like the Natural Resource Defense Council and Oceana had made clear their willingness to file legal challenges if permits were approved, permits that were just denied a little more than five months ago.

Now with 8 state and the District of Columbia attorneys general submitting a joint, formal comment opposing the pending seismic airgun blasting permits the prospect of tying up approved seismic permits in court for a year or more is very, very real.

Congratulations to these attorneys generals for standing up for the local coastal economies and ocean environments of entire Atlantic seaboard. The pressure has now been turned way up on the National Marine Fisheries Service, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Department of Interior and the Trump Administration to do the right thing—deny all the seismic permits.

Attorneys General signing the letter:

MATTHEW DENN – Attorney General of Delaware

BRIAN E. FROSH. – Attorney General of Maryland

MAURA HEALEY  –  Attorney General of Massachusetts

GEORGE JEPSEN – Attorney General of Connecticut

PETER F. KILMARTIN. – Attorney General of Rhode Island

KARL A. RACINE. – Attorney General for the District of Columbia

ERIC T. SCHNEIDERMAN – Attorney General of New York

JOSH SHAPIRO – Attorney General of Pennsylvania

JOSH STEIN – Attorney General of North Carolina

Frank Knapp Jr.