A coalition of Republican state attorneys general is urging the Trump administration to back legislation to shield the fossil fuel industry from a slew of climate lawsuits — and restrict federal funding to states that bring such challenges.
In a recent letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, 16 attorneys general suggest a sweeping number of steps that, if enacted, would crush local government efforts to hold oil and gas companies financially accountable for the effects of climate change.
“Lawsuits against energy companies by state and local governments — often funded by nongovernmental organizations and buttressed by questionable attempts to influence the judiciary — have increased at an alarming rate,” the attorneys write in the letter, which was led by West Virginia’s JB McCuskey and Nebraska’s Mike Hilgers.
City, county and state governments in mostly Democratic states have filed lawsuits seeking to recover money from the fossil fuel industry for its role in endangering public health. The cases, which emulate successful litigation against tobacco and opioid manufacturers, assert that the industry knew about the dangers of fossil fuels but misled consumers. If successful, the lawsuits could put the industry on the hook for billions of dollars.
