Twenty-two states have filed a lawsuit against New York, challenging the constitutionality of a new law that mandates major energy producers pay $75 billion into a climate change damage fund. This legal battle, initiated Thursday, targets the Climate Change Superfund Act, which seeks payments based on gas emissions from 2000 to 2018. The lawsuit, filed in Albany, lists Letitia James, the New York state attorney general, among its defendants. Spearheaded by West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey, the coalition of states aims to prevent what they see as policy overreach that could impact national energy independence, fearing that similar measures could follow in other states, endangering the country's power grid.
McCuskey said: "This lawsuit is to ensure that these misguided policies, being forced from one state onto the entire nation, will not lead America into the doldrums of an energy crisis, allowing China, India, and Russia to overtake our energy independence." He further declared the law unconstitutional, expressing pride in leading attorneys general and industry groups to counteract this perceived overreach.
Paul DeMichele, speaking for Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's office, said: "We look forward to defending this landmark legislation in court and defeating Big Oil once again." The lawsuit criticizes New York for attempting to make energy producers and out-of-state consumers fund New York-based infrastructure projects, such as upgrading New York City's sewer system. It describes the law as a chaotic example of state overreach, with claims that fossil fuels played a supportive role in New York's development during the targeted years. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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