A federal judge has sided with the state of Maine in its effort to force oil and gas companies to pay for the costs of dealing with climate change.
Judge Nancy Torresen of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine on Monday granted the state’s motion to transfer its case against 14 fossil fuel companies out of federal court and back to the state court where it was originally filed. She also granted Maine’s request to recover costs and fees.
The preliminary win for the state comes as the Trump administration has ramped up efforts to quash similar climate lawsuits and as judges in several states have sided with oil companies and found that the litigation is barred by federal law.
But Torresen, an Obama appointee, rejected the companies’ claims that they have been producing oil and gas under the direction of the federal government — a key element in their argument that climate liability lawsuits like Maine’s belong in federal court, where industry lawyers believe they are more likely to win.
