Environmental groups are preparing to backlash against the new Trump administration, which hopes to make sweeping policy changes more quickly than when Donald Trump took office in 2017.

Based on Trump’s previous actions as president and statements made during the recent campaign, pundits, advocates, and advocates have offered several predictions about his agenda in office. They expect him to focus on expanding oil and gas drilling, reducing the amount of preserved federal lands, and repealing or scaling back two of President Joe Biden’s landmark legislative achievements: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Environmentalists see the Cabinet picks Trump has announced so far as the first steps toward that agenda — people who agree with the goal of “drill, drill, drill” from day one, like Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in December. Trump has already named North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who has called for increased domestic oil production, as his choice for interior secretaryand CEO of the oil industry Chris Wright as desired energy secretary.

The first Trump administration took at least 74 actions seen as weakening environmental policy, according to a tracker from the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan institution. That figure could be higher in the next term, given Trump’s promises to significantly change the regulatory landscape.

“I think what we’re preparing for more is some sort of potential aggressiveness and disregard for the rule of law,” said Brett Hartl, director of government affairs for the Center for Biological Diversity. He added that his group would also monitor changes or processes “that are simply, clearly illegal.”

The center and other environmental organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, anticipate a high volume of legal battles ahead and are already seeking donations to fund those efforts. Pop-up ads on each site ask for help in countering expected changes in environmental protection.

The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Both the NRDC and the Center for Biological Diversity successfully challenged Trump’s agenda in court. While Trump was in office, the center filed 266 lawsuits against government actions it considered threats to the environment and won 87% of them, by its own calculations. Some of the group’s biggest victories include canceling an offshore drilling project in Alaska’s Arctic and reversing the removal of grizzly bears from the endangered species list. The NRDC, meanwhile, says it has filed 163 lawsuits during that time and won in nearly 90 percent of those resolved.

Despite Trump’s disavowal of the 2025 plan during his campaign, several environmental groups said they nonetheless expected the new administration to follow through on the plan. conservative political roadmapwhich was set up by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank. They prepare accordingly.

“We’re already seeing people involved in Project 2025 being appointed to the administration,” said Andrew Wetzler, who directs NRDC’s nature program. “And when you look at that, it’s really quite alarming from the broadest climate perspective.”

The plan calls for achieving “American energy dominance” by, among other things, ending what it calls a “war on oil and natural gas.” He recommends halting federal climate research and supports repealing policies enacted under Biden that included billions of dollars in funding for renewable energy.

Jillian Blanchard, who directs the climate change and environmental justice program at Lawyers for Good Government, a nonprofit legal advocacy group, said the group works to ensure that dollars for energy projects own under the Inflation Reduction Act cannot be easily recovered. by a new administration.

“We have worked with many federal recipients who have received money or are expected to receive money,” Blanchard said, describing his group’s efforts to help those clients expedite the payment process and resolve any compliance issues. regulations that may arise.

“We intend to continue this work to ensure that this money goes to the intended beneficiaries, whether that be for climate justice, tackling the climate crisis, environmental justice, public transit, etc. “, she added.

Conservation groups also expect a resumption of the fight for protected federal lands, particularly in the Southwest. After President Barack Obama created Bears Ears National Monument in Utah in 2016, Trump reduced its size by more than 1 million acres after taking office the following year. A group of environmental groups sued and the monument was fully restored by Biden in 2021.

Many expect Bears Ears to be targeted again, along with Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which is also in Utah.

“We expect these national monuments to be dismantled on day one,” said Ethan Aumack, executive director of the Grand Canyon Trust.

He said the group had developed scenarios to be able to respond quickly to such an attempt.

“I will just say this: We are not starting from scratch. We saw what happened under President Trump in his first term,” Aumack said. “We believe it is illegal for any president to dismantle national monuments, and we are prepared to take this issue to court if he attempts the same thing again.”

Although he expects fierce fights ahead, Wetzler also highlighted a few types of environmental policies that could be difficult for the incoming Trump administration to dismantle.

Highlighting the Biden administration’s investments in infrastructure and clean energy, he said many Republican elected officials may not want to lose money intended for their districts, including leaders in key states in Arizona , Georgia and North Carolina.

“The vast majority of clean energy funding — new battery technologies, electric vehicle manufacturing plants, solar manufacturers — is located in Republican districts across the country and in red states,” Wetzler said. “I think there will be a lot of pressure on Congress, from the Republican Party, from its own voters, to not disrupt these investments.”

Second, he added, clean water has become an area of ​​relative bipartisan consensus.

“Some of the strongest environmental advocates are actually Republicans and people who live close to the land,” Wetzler added. “My experience tells me that when it comes to preserving access to water, to fishable and swimmable lakes, to places where people can hike, camp, hunt and fish, there will be a lot of resistance, regardless of the political party in power. in Washington. »

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com