The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal court in Minneapolis to block a 2020 Minnesota lawsuit alleging major oil companies and an industry group misled the public about climate change. The DOJ argues greenhouse-gas regulation is a federal responsibility and that Minnesota's suit improperly attempts to impose state policy nationally. Attorney General Keith Ellison called the filing meritless. The move follows the administration's repeal of the EPA's 2009 'endangerment finding' and adds to growing federal-state tensions.
DOJ Moves To Block Minnesota's Climate Lawsuit Against Major Oil Companies
FILE - Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison listens during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on oversight of fraud and misuse of Federal funds in Minnesota, March 4, 2026, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., file)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday asked a federal court in Minneapolis to halt a Minnesota lawsuit filed nearly six years ago that accuses major oil companies and an industry trade group of misleading the public about climate change.
Acting on behalf of the Trump administration, the Justice Department argued the federal government — not individual states — has primary authority to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. The DOJ filing contends Minnesota's action improperly seeks to impose state policy preferences nationwide and is therefore preempted by federal law.
'The Constitution does not tolerate such a conflict,' DOJ attorneys wrote, adding that Minnesota cannot 'nationalize federal regulatory powers' through this litigation.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, originally filed the suit in state court in June 2020. The complaint names ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, the American Petroleum Institute and Flint Hills Resources (a Koch subsidiary), accusing them of consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices. At least 15 other states, including Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island, have pursued similar cases.
Ellison called the Justice Department filing "meritless," saying in a statement: "The American people deserve a Department of Justice that fights for us, and it's a tremendous shame that Trump's DOJ would rather sell us out to Big Oil."
FILE - This photo combination shows logos for ExxonMobil at the New York Stock Exchange, April 23, 2018 and an advertising sign for Koch Industries in Boston, July 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, Charles Krupa, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Messages seeking comment were left with ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute and were not immediately returned. When Ellison first filed the suit, ExxonMobil described it as baseless. The American Petroleum Institute said the industry provides reliable energy to consumers while working to reduce its environmental footprint.
The move comes amid a broader administration push to prioritize domestic energy production. In February the Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule rescinding the 2009 "endangerment finding" — the government determination that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare — a cornerstone of federal climate regulation.
The Justice Department filing also underscores mounting tensions between the Trump administration and Minnesota officials. Relations have been strained since incidents earlier this year involving federal immigration officers in Minneapolis and a separate series of federal searches tied to an investigation of publicly funded social programs, developments that state leaders say have heightened mistrust.
The federal court will now consider the DOJ request and determine whether the Minnesota suit can proceed in state court or is barred by federal authority.
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