East Coast environmental groups are suing the Trump administration to block drilling activities in the Atlantic Ocean.
Federal officials issued permits last month for five companies to conduct offshore seismic tests in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
In their lawsuit, the nonprofits say those tests would harm endangered North Atlantic right whales and other wildlife.
And they say it's a precursor to actual oil and gas extraction in the Atlantic, including in New England - which they say could harm tourism and marine ecosystems.
Nearly all East Coast governors have said they oppose drilling off the East Coast, including New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu.
