Manufacturers Push Back as State AGs Target Energy Companies
NAM’s Kelly: This Expensive Taxpayer-Funded Litigation Has No Place in Court System

Washington, DC – The following statement was released by Linda Kelly, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and lead on the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP), in response to today’s federal district court hearing on the investigation spearheaded by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey into ExxonMobil:

“The proceedings taking place today are part of a much broader politically-charged activist campaign being waged against manufacturers in America. The fact that Attorneys General Schneiderman and Healey have been associated with closed door meetings with known activists such as Matt Pawa, and have stated their bias against energy manufacturers on numerous occasions is deeply concerning. If cases like this are allowed to move forward, it would be a warning sign to all manufacturers that they could be the next target.

“This case is little more than a fishing expedition. And what’s more, this is expensive, taxpayer-funded litigation over issues that have no place in the court system to begin with.

“This is just one of a number of politically-motivated cases that have led the National Association of Manufacturers to launch the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) and expose the coordinated attacks on manufacturers from plaintiffs’ attorneys, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and others. The same activists involved in today’s litigation are conspicuously involved in similar litigation across the country, and MAP intends to put them on notice. Despite their stated motives, they are doing the country a disservice by undermining the jobs of working Americans and forcing companies to spend resources on frivolous litigation that could otherwise be invested in jobs and communities.”

-MAP-

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

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