Justice Department Sues Minnesota to Block State Climate Lawsuit, Claims Federal Authority Over Energy Policy

The Justice Department has launched a new legal attack on Minnesota, accusing the state of overstepping its authority by trying to regulate global greenhouse gas emissions through state courts. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, claims that Minnesota’s climate lawsuit against energy companies intrudes on exclusive federal jurisdiction over energy policy and unlawfully burdens domestic energy production.

This move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader executive order aimed at protecting American energy from what the administration calls “state overreach.” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward framed Minnesota’s efforts as an attempt to impose “woke climate preferences” as national policy, undermining affordable and reliable energy crucial to national and economic security.

The complaint targets Minnesota’s state court lawsuit that seeks to enjoin global energy production and demands energy companies disgorge profits. The Justice Department argues this amounts to setting national energy policy and influencing corporate behavior on a global scale—actions that courts, including Judge Stras of the Eighth Circuit, have ruled are beyond the scope of state law.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) emphasized that such state-level climate actions threaten America’s energy independence and security, framing the lawsuit as a partisan effort to advance a climate agenda favored by politicians and activists rather than grounded in law.

This is not Minnesota’s first clash with the Trump administration over climate policy. Last year, ENRD filed similar complaints against Hawaii, Michigan, New York, and Vermont, all challenging state attempts to regulate emissions that the administration claims violate the Constitution and the Clean Air Act.

The complaint was filed by John Adams, Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel for ENRD, underscoring the administration’s aggressive legal strategy to quash state-level climate initiatives and maintain federal control over energy and environmental regulation.

This lawsuit highlights the ongoing battle between states pushing ambitious climate policies and a federal administration determined to prioritize fossil fuel interests and block climate action through legal and executive means. As more states pursue aggressive climate measures, expect the Justice Department to continue using the courts to stifle these efforts under the guise of protecting “American energy dominance.”