South Carolina is siding with fossil fuel companies over one of its own cities, urging a court to dismiss Charleston’s climate lawsuit against the oil and gas industry.
In an amicus brief filed last week in a South Carolina court, state Attorney General Alan Wilson said the city’s lawsuit “raises serious constitutional concerns that stem from the very structure of our nation.”
He added that if the lawsuit proceeds, it threatens “to disrupt basic interests of federalism and impair state sovereignty.”
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Charleston’s lawsuit is one of two dozen similar efforts nationwide pursued by states and municipalities that are seeking compensation to help respond to the effects of a warming planet.
