(AP) – Six states have lined up in support of Washington state in a legal battle over its decision to block a proposed coal-export terminal on the Columbia River.

Attorneys general from California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Oregon filed a “friend-of-the-court” brief this week arguing in support of Gov. Inslee’s defense against the federal lawsuit brought by Lighthouse Resources.

Lighthouse Resources claimed Washington state officials violated federal laws in denying approvals for their project – a proposed $680 million facility in Longview that would be the largest coal shipping terminal in North America.

Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Kansas, Nebraska and Washington’s Cowlitz County support the project.