Trump Admin Sues To Block Blue States From Taking Fossil Fuel Companies To Court Over Climate Change

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

59% : The law also gave the state's utility regulator authority to override local governments when approving locations for renewable energy infrastructure.
57% : While Michigan currently uses around 17,000 acres for renewable energy, The Detroit News reported that the state may need as many as 209,000 additional acres to meet its clean energy targets.
54% : "They have to pay their share because climate change and the climate impact is definitely connected to generations of extra fossil fuel that's been burned," he continued.
53% : Hawaii followed in Michigan's footsteps on April 28, as the state's governor announced that he had similar intentions to take fossil fuel companies to court.
47% : Though neither state has filed a lawsuit as of yet, the planned legal actions could drive up energy prices and interfere with how fossil fuel production is regulated, according to the complaints filed by lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
47% : "The United States' sovereign interests include ensuring that States do not interfere with federal law, including the Clean Air Act, or with the federal government's exclusive authority over interstate and foreign commerce, greenhouse gas regulation, and national energy policy," the DOJ lawsuits read.
44% : "At a time when States should be contributing to a national effort to secure reliable sources of domestic energy, Michigan is choosing to stand in the way," the complaint said.
40% : Similarly, the complaint against Hawaii, the state's Democratic Gov. Josh Green and the state's Attorney General Anne Lopez, was filed due to the state's plan to take legal action against fossil fuel companies for their alleged impact on climate change.
40% : " "No amount of Democrat obstruction will stop President Trump from delivering on the promises he made to the American people, including his promise to unleash American energy," Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement to the DCNF before the administration went forward with the lawsuits.
38% : Nessel further accused the industry of endangering the state's environment, economy and residents' well-being by contributing to climate change.
37% : "As a result of state restrictions and burdens on energy production, the American people are paying more for energy, and the United States is less able to defend itself from hostile foreign actors," both DOJ lawsuits read.
29% : The same day, Trump signed an order to shield energy producers from state overreach, stating that "American energy dominance is threatened when State and local governments seek to regulate energy beyond their constitutional or statutory authorities.
19% : The Trump administration filed lawsuits Wednesday against Michigan and Hawaii in an attempt to block the states from seeking damages in court against fossil fuel companies for alleged environmental harm.

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