Earlier this week, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting American Energy From State Overreach.” 

It should have been called the “Make American Energy Dirtier and More Expensive Act.”

This latest Executive Order by President Trump is blatantly unconstitutional and strikes at the heart of state sovereignty, aiming to strip states of their right to protect residents’ health and safety by leading on climate action and environmental justice. This EO is a dangerous political stunt undertaken by President Trump at the behest of the fossil fuel industry. It’s yet another clear attempt to override and silence the will of the people, and undermine efforts to improve the lives of families in the Pacific Northwest. 

If allowed to stand, it would mean not only higher bills and local job loss but also more pollution, more destructive wildfires and other other climate impacts across the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the country. We deserve better.

Why is Trump coming after the states?

Gina McCarthy, who served as the White House national climate adviser during the Biden administration, recently told The New York Times: “I think one of the reasons you see him going after states is that they are the final line of defense.” 

The states are indeed the last line of defense. And we’re the first to go on offense.

States have been on offense on climate progress for many years, especially here in the Pacific Northwest. We have so much to be proud of, and so much to defend, here in Oregon and Washington. Our states have passed first and best-in-the-nation policies to reduce pollution from electricity, buildings, and cars and trucks. Oregon was the first state to phase coal out of its electricity, embracing more affordable renewable energy to replace it. Washington passed the most climate-friendly building codes in the country. Both states are racing each other to the top with some of the strongest Clean Fuels programs and 100% Clean Electricity laws in the country. 

Because of Washington’s Climate Commitment Act, we are investing billions in solutions to scale up the deployment of heat pumps, electric school buses, and more. We are creating jobs throughout the region, and creating powerful clean energy technology and job creation clusters in places like the Tri-Cities. We’re inspiring other states to join in the clean energy transition. The momentum that the Northwest has helped spark is unstoppable. 

Progress on clean energy is about more than just cutting climate pollution—it’s about allowing us to control our own destiny. It means harnessing solar and wind energy to make our own electricity, keeping energy dollars in our communities, and creating good-paying jobs. It means working together across divides to make sure that all communities can thrive with the advantages of affordable, healthy clean energy. It means building a system that’s resilient to shocks and disruptions, whether those are tariff fights or extreme weather.

Right now state legislative leaders are doing just that by working to strengthen our grid, upgrade programs like Clean Fuels, and invest state dollars directly into communities across the region. We know Oregonians and Washingtonians believe in climate action, want clean air and water, and expect their elected leaders to invest in a better, more secure future for their families. One clear example: Washington voters soundly rejected a ballot measure last November that would have repealed the state’s landmark climate law by an overwhelming 62-38 margin.

The best response to Trump and Big Oil’s latest attempt to derail progress is to keep moving forward to continue our incredible leadership. We must urge Governors Kotek and Ferguson, Attorneys General Rayfield and Brown, and our state legislatures to stand firm—because our states have the right and the responsibility to continue to lead. We will not allow this egregious and illegal overreach by the federal government to deter us.

What is the best way to fight back against Trump’s most recent attacks on climate progress and clean energy?

 Here in the Pacific Northwest, we should focus on three key things:

1. Defend our gains against the unconstitutional attacks of the Trump administration against our state climate and environmental justice policies.
2. Stay on offense and continue to pass policies that will continue on our path towards an equitable transition to clean energy, reducing pollution, lowering energy bills, and creating jobs across the region.
3. Break barriers to scale up solutions like more electric trucks, school buses, heat pumps, and clearing the way for more wind, solar, batteries, and transmission infrastructure.

We need your help to make this happen. If you want to get more involved in fighting back against these unprecedented assaults from the Trump Administration on our states’ right to make climate progress, we have three suggestions:

1. Call on your state legislators to pass critical bills and fund important climate investments making their way through the state legislatures in Washington and in Oregon. Don’t let legislators end this session without making more progress!
2. Donate today—chipping in even $5 helps us continue this work and prepare to defend the progress we have already made, in our legislatures and possibly in the courts.
3. Join hundreds of others fighting for climate action at the Climate Solutions Annual Dinner on May 20th in Seattle. In this time of extreme challenge, coming together is very powerful. 

We are preparing to fight back against the Trump administration’s attacks on our right to breathable air, affordable clean energy, and a livable climate. We are resolved because we know that the administration’s chainsaw approach to regressive change is threatening so many vulnerable communities. Our strength to resist grows with our care for each other and our solidarity. You’ve been with us every step of the way, and we hope you are ready to show up again.