The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota Monday for its attempt to “usurp federal authority to regulate global greenhouse gas emissions.”
In June 2020, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued ExxonMobil, the American Petroleum Institute, and Koch Industries in state court, claiming the three oil companies “strategized to deceive the public about climate-change science in order to safeguard their business interests.”
The lawsuit alleges violations of state laws on consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, and false statements in advertising. It asks the courts to order the companies to “disgorge all profits made as a result of their unlawful conduct.”
Similar lawsuits have been filed by blue cities and states across the country.
Throughout the case, Ellison has faced scrutiny for his office’s use of outside attorneys to handle the lawsuit, including a law firm that received millions of dollars from a left-wing dark money group.
With the lawsuit still waiting to go to trial, the DOJ’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) is now asking a federal court to declare the case “unconstitutional and unlawful.”
“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,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.
“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.”
According to the DOJ, Minnesota’s lawsuit usurps the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and attempts to override the policy decisions of the United States.
“The case we filed against Minnesota today is an attempt to rein in another unconstitutional state effort to invade an area of exclusive federal control,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the ENRD.
“It is in America’s interest to have independent and secure sources of energy. Minnesota’s attempted overreach would undermine our economic and national security to advance the climate agenda of politicians and activists.”
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
