Montgomery, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has filed a multistate brief urging the Supreme Court of Maryland to dismiss three lawsuits brought by local governments in Maryland that seek to hold energy companies financially liable for alleged contributions to climate change. The cases, filed by governments in Maryland, aim to use state courts to address what Marshall and fellow attorneys general argue are matters of federal and international scope.
The brief, spearheaded by Alabama, contends that allowing local governments to regulate the global oil and gas industry through state courts would violate constitutional principles of federalism and undermine the sovereignty of other states. Marshall stated, “Maryland law cannot control energy production and environmental policies in Alabama. Baltimore’s concerns about emissions cross state lines, creating a federal issue that must be resolved federally, not by cities and counties seeking to line their pockets.”
The filing argues that environmental policies affecting multiple states and nations cannot be resolved through local litigation and must instead be handled by the federal government. The brief warns that permitting such lawsuits could allow one state’s courts to dictate policy across the country, setting a precedent that could disrupt the energy industry and states’ rights.
The coalition brief was joined by attorneys general from 24 states, including Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The case remains under review by the Supreme Court of Maryland, with implications for the broader legal debate over the role of state courts in addressing global environmental issues.
