ALBANY, New York — Two Midwestern states and a business group have sued New York officials over emissions reporting rules they say are unconstitutional.
The Center for Individual Rights, representing Iowa, Missouri and the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce, filed the lawsuit on Thursday in federal court in Missouri. The dispute centers on greenhouse gas reporting requirements finalized by the state Department of Environmental Conservation last year.
Those rules require fuel suppliers and others to provide information so the state can get a more accurate estimate of its emissions. The reporting requirement was expected to underpin a cap-and-trade-style program to charge for pollution, although Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has soured on that concept over cost concerns.
Why it matters: Republican attorneys general have previously challenged New York’s laws targeting emissions issues, including the state’s “Climate Superfund” measure that aims to charge companies for historic pollution. The partisan divide over decarbonization efforts has only deepened as President Donald Trump seeks to block clean energy projects.
