Washington – Washington (AP) – The Supreme Court On Monday he rejected a demand for Republican general prosecutors in 19 states aimed at blocking Climate change Costumes against the oil and gas industry of the states led by Democrat.
The judges acted in an unusual republican effort to file a claim in the Supreme Court on the use of the United States of their own state courts to sue. fossil fuel companies for deceiving the public about the risks of their products that contribute to climate change.
The Supreme Court usually only listens to appeals, but the Constitution grants the authority of the Court to hear that the states of original demands present each other.
Judges Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said they would have allowed the claim to proceed for now. The judges do not have the discretion of rejecting the complaint at this stage, Thomas wrote in a dissent that did not deal with the merits of the claim.
The complaint of the Republicans, led by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, states that democratic states are trying to dictate national energy policy and increase the cost of energy throughout the country.
The Supreme Court has also rejected the appeals of energy companies that seek to involve judges on the subject.
The demands presented by dozens of state and local governments allege that fossil fuel companies He cheated the public on how their products could contribute to the climatic crisis. The demands claim billions of dollars of damage for things such as severe storms, forest fires and increased sea level.
The Republican action specifically sought to stop the demands presented by California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
Only the federal government can regulate interstate gas emissions, and states have no power to apply their own laws to a global atmosphere that reaches far beyond its borders.
___
Follow the AP coverage of the United States Supreme Court in https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.
