A federal lawsuit has been filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a leading oil and gas industry trade group against Vermont over its new law requiring fossil fuel companies to pay for the damages caused by climate change over several decades. The law, enacted last year, is the first of its kind in the country and aims to hold energy companies accountable for their role in climate change.
The lawsuit argues that the state law is preempted by the federal Clean Air Act and violates the U.S. Constitution by targeting out-of-state energy companies. It also contends that measuring the impact of emissions from individual sources over decades is impractical.
