The Department of Justice filed a complaint against Minnesota over the state’s efforts to hold energy companies liable for allegedly misleading the public about the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions.
Minnesota brought the lawsuit against Exxon Mobil, Koch Industries, and the American Petroleum Institute in 2020, alleging they deceived the public for decades about the cost of climate change.
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The DOJ said on Monday that, by litigating against the industry, Minnesota was attempting to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, thereby usurping the federal government’s authority and harming domestic energy development.
“President Trump promised to unleash American energy dominance, and Minnesota officials cannot undermine his directive by mandating that their woke climate preferences become the uniform policy of our Nation,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement.
“Minnesota’s attempt to impose a national regulation on global greenhouse gas emissions not only is preempted by federal law, but also undermines affordable and reliable American energy, weakening the national and economic security of the United States,” Woodward wrote.
The DOJ noted that its move to halt the state’s lawsuit is part of an effort to uphold President Donald Trump’s executive order last April to ensure that state action does not impede energy development or production.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told the Washington Examiner in a statement that “Big Oil” companies have used procedural maneuvers to try to avoid accountability.
“This frivolous and meritless lawsuit is just their latest attempt to hide from accountability, and I will move to have it dismissed immediately,” he said. “The American people deserve a Department of Justice that fights for us, and it’s a tremendous shame that Trump’s DOJ would rather sell us out to Big Oil.”
In January, the Minnesota case survived an appeal brought by the oil companies, as a three-judge appeals panel allowed for the lawsuit to proceed in state court.
The DOJ has attempted to block similar lawsuits brought by other states against energy companies, reflecting a broader legal movement. Across the country, dozens of states and local jurisdictions have pursued lawsuits or passed laws aimed at holding fossil fuel companies accountable for pollution.
For instance, Hawaii last year took legal action against several fossil fuel companies, including BP, Shell, and Exxon. The state is seeking to recover damages for the costs associated with climate-related events. The DOJ attempted to block Hawaii’s lawsuit, but a federal judge earlier this month dismissed the department’s efforts.
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Michigan has also pursued litigation against fossil fuel companies. The DOJ attempted to block the state’s efforts, but a federal judge in January turned down the Trump administration’s attempt to halt the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, New York and Vermont in 2024 passed “climate superfund” laws, which require fossil fuel companies to pay for climate-related damages. Both of these laws are undergoing legal challenges from industry groups and Republican-led states. The DOJ also joined the fight against these laws last year.
