Four Democratic-led states have been sued by the Trump administration in an attempt to thwart their climate-related legislation or litigation.
In an effort to prevent Michigan and Hawaii from bringing climate change lawsuits against fossil fuel companies, the administration filed lawsuits against them on Wednesday.
It filed lawsuits against Vermont and New York on Thursday over their “climate Superfund” laws, which compel fossil fuel firms to cover emissions caused by their goods.
The Justice Department filed lawsuits on Wednesday, requesting that federal courts permanently bar Michigan and Hawaii from bringing claims against fossil fuel companies.
The administration contended that these cases are unlawful because the federal government, not the states, should regulate climate pollution.
In its lawsuits against Vermont and New York, it used identical justifications to request that their laws be overturned.
The actions follow an executive order from President Trump instructing the Justice Department to focus on state and municipal climate initiatives.
The attorney general is specifically instructed under the order to attempt to “stop the enforcement of state laws and continuation of civil actions” that it deems unlawful.
“These burdensome and ideologically motivated laws and lawsuits threaten American energy independence and our country’s economic and national security,” Attorney General Pam Bondi stated. “The Department of Justice is working to ‘Unleash American Energy’ by stopping these illegitimate impediments to the production of affordable, reliable energy that Americans deserve.”
In a written statement, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) called the lawsuit against her state “frivolous,” adding that the state has not yet filed a complaint, despite having been working on one.
“As my office’s anticipated lawsuit in this arena is not yet filed and our claims unknown to the administration—as conceded directly in their complaint— this lawsuit is at best frivolous and arguably sanctionable,” Nessel stated.
“If the White House or Big Oil wish to challenge our claims, they can do so when our lawsuit is filed; they will not succeed in any attempt to preemptively bar our access to make our claims in the courts. I remain undeterred in my intention to file this lawsuit the President and his Big Oil donors so fear,” she continued.
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Major oil firms have already been sued by a number of governments and municipalities for allegedly misleading the public about climate change, particularly after a 2015 study described decades of corporate evidence showing global warming.
The business has maintained that it offers consumers a valuable product and that the lawsuits are politically motivated and without merit.
The lawsuits coincide with the Trump administration’s repeated attempts to minimize the effects of climate change and its announcement that it will repeal a number of climate regulations.
It also coincides with the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that it will reevaluate its conclusion that climate change poses a public health risk.
