The Trump administration is escalating its efforts to block state initiatives to tackle climate change, asking the public’s help to identify laws with “significant adverse effects” on the economy.
The Department of Justice posted the call for comments in the Federal Register in August. The notice cited a sweeping executive order — “Protecting American Energy From State Overreach” — that President Donald Trump signed in April, directing the department to target any state climate policies “burdening” energy development.
The administration has already filed lawsuits against Vermont and New York over climate Superfund laws, which seek to force energy companies to pay the cost of adapting to climate change. It also filed suit against Hawaii and Michigan in an effort to deter the states from suing the fossil fuel industry. And earlier this month, the administration urged the Supreme Court to side with industry and transfer the climate lawsuits from state to federal courts, where they are more likely to be dismissed.
The 251 respondents to the DOJ notice offered up additional targets, including potential bans on fossil fuel appliances in new buildings and efforts to bar the use of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in states such as Maine, New Mexico and Minnesota.
