Twenty-two states have filed a lawsuit against New York, arguing that a new law requiring major energy companies to contribute $75 billion for climate change damages is unconstitutional. This legal action was initiated in Albany, with West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey leading the charge against New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act.
The law mandates that large fossil fuel producers pay into a climate fund over the next 25 years, based on their gas emissions from 2000 to 2018. McCuskey criticized this law, claiming it could lead to an energy crisis. He expressed concerns that if New York’s policies succeed, other states might follow, jeopardizing the stability of the national power grid.
New York officials, however, are prepared to defend the legislation. Paul DeMichele, a spokesperson for Governor Kathy Hochul, stated that they look forward to confronting the lawsuit and continuing their fight against major oil companies.
The states involved in the lawsuit argue that New York is unfairly shifting the burden onto energy producers and consumers from other states to fund local projects, like a new sewer system in New York City. The lawsuit argues that blaming a small group of energy producers for global greenhouse gas emissions is misguided, highlighting how fossil fuels have historically supported New York’s economy and infrastructure.
Alongside West Virginia, the states suing New York include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
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