The Trump administration said Tuesday that Vermont “is defying federal law” under 2024 legislation that would allow it to eventually collect financial damages from fossil fuel companies for the effects of climate change in the state.
The assertion came in a motion the Justice Department filed in US District Court in Burlington, where the administration is suing Vermont over its Climate Superfund Act.
The motion for summary judgment asks the court to “end Vermont’s lawless overreach” and declare the act “invalid and unenforceable.”
In a previous statement, officials defended the law, which calls for any funds collected from fossil fuel concerns to be used for “climate adaptation” projects.
“To support the health, safety, and prosperity of our communities, we must ensure Vermont is equipped financially to address the impacts of climate change,” state Treasurer Mike Pieciak said in the statement. “This work is even more important as our state recovers from a second straight year of widespread flooding, with the impact falling hardest on low-income Vermonters and our most vulnerable communities.”
The state’s secretary of natural resources, Julie Moore, said “Vermont has seen firsthand the significant impacts that climate change is having on our environment and our economy.”
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“As we advance this important legislation, we are committed to learning from academics, experts, and consultants who have laid the groundwork for states to be able to hold fossil fuel companies accountable,” she said.
Among the cluster of President Trump’s executive orders in April that were issued to challenge the transition away from fossil fuels was one directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to identify any state or local laws that address climate change, and any mechanisms to collect penalties or taxes for greenhouse gas emissions. The order directs her to “take all appropriate action” to stop such initiatives.
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The Trump administration argues that states’ efforts to slash emissions amount to an abuse of power.
“The president is right to ensure that Americans in both red and blue states are not beholden to state overreach stifling American energy that are unconstitutional or contradict[s] federal law,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in April.
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.