Environmentalists preparing to battle Trump, GOP in court

A man wearing a mask portraying newly elected US president-elect Donald Trump poses with a sign during a demonstration against Trump’s vow to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Accord outside the US Embassy in central London in November 18, 2016. AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS

CHICAGO — Environmentalists facing a hostile Trump administration and a Republican-dominated Congress say the courts may offer their best chance to block changes they oppose.

Advocacy groups nationwide are hiring more staff lawyers and coordinating with private attorneys and firms volunteering their services.

They are seeking donations, setting priorities and reviewing laws that could be the basis of lawsuits against Trump policies concerning climate change, endangered wildlife, pollution and other issues.

Vermont Law School Professor Patrick Parenteau says there will be “all-out war” in courtrooms if the Republicans try to roll back environmental protections.

A spokesman for Trump’s transition team says the critics are primarily interested in stoking fear to raise money./rga