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The
U.S. Department of Justice, the administration's law enforcement
arm, filed an action in federal court in Minneapolis arguing
that the federal government has the authority to regulate
greenhouse gas emissions, not states, and that Minnesota
officials are trying to improperly impose their policy
preferences on the rest of the country.
“The Constitution does not tolerate such a conflict,” Justice
Department attorneys argued in the filing. “Nor does it allow
Minnesota to national its regulatory powers.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, filed a
lawsuit in state court in June 2020 against ExxonMobil, Koch
Industries, the American Petroleum Institute and refinery
company Flint Hills Resources, a Koch subsidiary, accusing them
of consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices. At least 15
other states brought similar lawsuits, including Massachusetts,
New York and Rhode Island.
Ellison issued a statement Monday calling the Justice
Department's action meritless.
“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,” Ellison said.
Messages The Associated Press left for media officials at
ExxonMobil, the Koch Industries and the American Petroleum
Institute on Monday weren’t immediately returned. ExxonMobil
officials said when Ellison sued in 2020 that the action was
baseless. The American Petroleum Institute said then that the
industry provides reliable energy to U.S. consumers while
substantially reducing its environmental footprint.
Trump has called for boosting domestic energy production. The
administration in February revoked a scientific finding that
long has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate
greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, the most
aggressive move by the Republican president to roll back climate
regulations. The rule finalized by the Environmental Protection
Agency rescinded a 2009 government declaration known as the
endangerment finding that determined carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare.
The Justice Department filing marks another flashpoint of
friction between the Trump administration and Minnesota
officials. The two sides have been at odds since January, when
federal immigration officers killed two Minneapolis residents in
separate incidents during a crackdown in the city. Federal
agents in April conducted a series of searches connected with an
investigation into publicly funded social programs for children,
further escalating tensions.
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