Donald Trump has been put on notice. (This is the… what? The 7,256th time he’s been put on notice?) The nation’s environmental activists aren’t going to take his regulatory and administrative changes without a fight. They’re lining up their legal teams and getting ready to tie the White House up in lawsuits such as they’ve never seen. Or at least so they say. (Associated Press)

The night before Donald Trump’s inauguration, five environmental lawyers filed a federal court brief defending an Obama administration clean-water rule that the new president and his Republican allies have targeted for elimination, considering it burdensome to landowners.

The move served as a warning that environmentalists, facing a hostile administration and a Republican-dominated Congress, are prepared to battle in court against what they fear will be a wave of unfavorable policies concerning climate change, wildlife protection, federal lands and pollution.

Advocacy groups nationwide are hiring more staff lawyers. They’re coordinating with private attorneys and firms that have volunteered to help. They’re reviewing statutes, setting priorities and seeking donations.

Let’s review, because this seems to be the marching orders. They are:

• Reviewing statutes
• Setting priorities
• Seeking donations

Yes, you need to get that “seeking donations” clause in there early, don’t you? Not to worry. I’m sure the President has taken notice and will soon be reconsidering his plans in the face of such a robust #Resist movement. What mere mortal could stand up to that hash tag?

Then again, perhaps this is no mere mortal they’re up against. In terms of environmental regulations such as the ones being cited here, word leaked out last week that there were indeed some big plans for the EPA, and they include some, er… staffing changes. (Washington Examiner)

President Trump is seeking to slash the number of workers at the Environmental Protection Agency by at least half, leaving it significantly gutted as the administration mulls further cuts, the former head of Trump’s EPA transition team said Friday.

“Let’s aim for half and see how it works out, and then maybe we’ll want to go further,” Myron Ebell said now that he has returned to his position as director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Ebell left the Trump transition team a week ago.

Let’s see… we’re looking at cutting the number of employees at the EPA in half. The Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines are being pushed into high gear. We’re going to expand oil and gas drilling on public lands while rolling back a nuisance rule from the Department of the Interior regarding coal mines and the waters of the United States. And just for good measure we’re taking some wolves off the endangered species list.

You know, now that I think about it… I don’t believe President Trump has really gotten the message at all.