WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration has halted all pending environmental litigation and reassigned four career Justice Department attorneys focused on environmental issues, according to three sources familiar with the matter and a pair of memos seen by Reuters.
The memos order the division not to file any new lawsuits or other legal briefs and to halt all pending settlements and consent decrees to give the new Republican administration time to reconsider previously agreed deals. The decision is meant to ensure the federal government “speaks with one voice in its view of the law” and to ensure the president’s appointees or designees have the opportunity to decide whether to initiate any new cases.
The decision to move the four officials, who are not political appointees, from overseeing the natural resources, environmental enforcement, appellate and environmental crimes sections is the latest in a string of similar actions as Trump shakes up the federal government’s 2.2 million-strong workforce.
The Environment and Natural Resources Division is responsible for bringing criminal and civil cases related to air and water pollution, animal welfare and public safety, as well as defending in court government agencies such as the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy.
The four section chiefs were told in an email late Thursday they have 15 days to accept the new assignment to a newly created Sanctuary City Working Group or face adverse consequences. The sources said the reassigned officials have not been provided further details about their new assignments.
The Trump administration has long dismissed climate change as a “hoax,” vowed to cut regulation and on his first day in office withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate treaty.
Four other Justice Department employees who worked on environmental justice issues were also placed on paid administrative leave this week.