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Constitutional Challenges Climate Change Fossil Fuel

Pillsbury - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real...

States and Municipalities Advance Climate Change Lawsuits as Trump Administration Seeks to Block Them

Even as the Trump administration moves to block state and local climate liability efforts, states and municipalities continue to advance lawsuits seeking to hold fossil fuel companies liable for harms associated with climate...more

Mintz

Colorado Supreme Court Allows Climate Tort Litigation to Proceed

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On May 12, 2025, in a 5-2 decision, the Colorado Supreme Court held that the tort claims brought by local governments in Colorado against major fossil fuel companies concerning damages stemming from climate change could...more

Foley Hoag LLP - Energy & Climate Counsel

Trump Administration Sues Four States to Block Climate Superfund Legislation and Climate Deception Litigation

As we have noted previously, a number of states have enacted legislation and/or brought claims against fossil fuel producers seeking payment for damages resulting from climate change. Legislative efforts include New York...more

Pillsbury - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real...

Federal Government Sues Four States Over Climate Superfund Laws and Climate Change Litigation

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a series of federal lawsuits against four states—New York, Vermont, Michigan and Hawaii—alleging that recent legislative and enforcement efforts to hold fossil fuel companies...more

Goldberg Segalla

Navigating Environmental Jurisdiction: DOJ’s Challenge to State Climate Superfund Laws

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The U.S. Department of Justice filed lawsuits against New York and several other states, challenging their newly enacted state Superfund laws (Superfund lawsuits). The laws aim to address the environmental damages attributed...more

Cozen O'Connor

Vermont’s Climate Superfund Law Draws Heated Challenge from GOP AGs

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A group of 24 Republican AGs, along with several trade associations, sued Vermont over the state’s Climate Superfund Act, which authorizes the state to levy billions of dollars in fines on fossil fuel companies for alleged...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Trump Administration Sues New York and Vermont Over Climate Superfund Legislation

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On May 1, 2025, the federal government brought separate suits against both New York and Vermont alleging that these state’s “climate Superfund” statutes are unconstitutional on multiple grounds. In two nearly identical...more

Mintz

Trump Administration Files Preemptive Lawsuits Against Hawaii and Michigan to Block Climate Change Litigation

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Recently, both the State of Hawaii and the State of Michigan had announced that they would be pursuing litigation against fossil fuel companies concerning alleged damages stemming from the companies' contribution to climate...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

State Climate Laws and Litigation Face Federal Pushback Under New Executive Order

On April 8, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14260, Protecting American Energy From State Overreach​. Framed as part of the Administration’s broader strategy of unleashing American energy, the Order directs...more

Jones Day

Trump Issues Orders to Block State Climate Laws

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On April 8, 2025, President Trump issued a series of executive orders directing the federal government to analyze state-level climate policies targeting fossil fuel consumption and environmental regulations. This action...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

New York Passes Climate Superfund Legislation - Updated 3.6.25

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On December 26, 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Climate Change Superfund Act (“CCSA” or the “Act”) into law. The law requires certain fossil fuel producers and refiners with sufficient connections to New York...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

22 AGs Challenge New York’s Climate Superfund Law

Troutman Pepper Locke on

A coalition of industry associations and 22 state attorneys general (AG), led by West Virginia AG JB McCuskey, filed a lawsuit against the State of New York in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York...more

Mintz

Red State AGs Sue New York State in Challenge to Climate Change Superfund Act

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In December 2024, the State of New York enacted the “Climate Change Superfund Act,” which would impose retroactive fines on fossil fuel producers for greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. (New York was...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP - Class Dismissed

A New Era of Climate Accountability: State Climate Superfund Laws Gain Momentum

As climate adaptation and mitigation costs escalate, a wave of state climate superfund legislation is emerging across the United States. This novel approach to climate accountability, pioneered by Vermont and New York,...more

Cozen O'Connor

New York Climate Superfund Law Faces Heated Opposition from Republican AGs

Cozen O'Connor on

A group of 22 Republican AGs, along with several coal, oil, and gas companies and industry trade associations, sued New York over the state’s Climate Superfund Act, which authorizes the state to levy billions of dollars in...more

Holland & Hart LLP

Two Pivotal Montana Supreme Court Decisions Impact Industry

Holland & Hart LLP on

On Friday, January 3, 2025, the Montana Supreme Court issued a decision in MEIC v. DEQ (Laurel Generating Station), its second major decision on the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) in the last few weeks that affects...more

Holland & Hart LLP

Montana Court Rules State Agencies Must Consider GHG/Climate Impacts in Fossil Fuel Approvals

Holland & Hart LLP on

On August 14, 2023, Judge Kathy Seeley issued a decision in the Held case that impacts state fossil fuel permit holders and current and future permit applications. Judge Seeley found unconstitutional a Montana statute that...more

White and Williams LLP

Montana Trial Court Holds That Youths Have Standing to Bring Constitutional Claims Against State Government For Alleged Climate...

White and Williams LLP on

On August 14, 2023, in a “landmark” ruling, a Montana state court held that youth plaintiffs had standing to assert constitutional claims against the State of Montana, its governor and state agencies for “ignoring” the impact...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Montana Residents Challenge State Energy Policy as Unconstitutional

A trial has been scheduled for June 12 in a case involving climate-related constitutional challenges to actions by the State of Montana, its governor, and various state agencies. In Held v. Montana, sixteen Montana...more

Goldberg Segalla

Kids File Climate-Change Suit Against Their Home State, Alleging Betrayal 

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Faced with back-to-back years of unprecedented flooding, wildfires, and soaring temperatures, sixteen teens and children from Montana, ages 2-18, are suing their home state in what may precipitate the next wave of...more

Foley Hoag LLP - State AG Insights

Losses Continue to Mount For ExxonMobil in its Fight to Prevent State Attorney General Climate Investigations

On March 15, 2020, the Second Circuit rejected an appeal brought by ExxonMobil attempting to block investigations by the New York and Massachusetts Attorneys General into historical claims made by Exxon regarding climate...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - March 2020

Allen Matkins on

California approves ambitious new plan to deal with climate change and sea-level rise - San Francisco Chronicle – February 26 - The state's Ocean Protection Council, the cabinet-level policy body within the California...more

Bennett Jones LLP

Climate Change Class Action Dismissed as Non-Justiciable

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After much legal wrangling since the claim was launched against the U.S. federal government and the Office of the President of the United States in 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently dismissed the...more

(ACOEL) | American College of Environmental...

Court-Ordered Reductions Of Greenhouse Gases? The Urgenda And Juliana Decisions

Two major climate change cases were decided in the last month—State of the Netherlands v. Urgenda (Dec. 20, 2019) and Juliana v. United States (Jan. 17, 2020).  They illustrate sharply contrasting views about the role of...more

Jones Day

Is Fossil Fuel Running on Empty? The Implications of Climate Change Mitigation

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The Situation: Proposed resolutions in Congress and an injunction request in a Ninth Circuit case both seek significant reductions in fossil fuel use throughout the economy. The Result: In the near term, it is easy to...more

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