Washington D.C. – Phil Goldberg, Special Counsel for the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project, issued the following statement today in response to the DC Attorney General filing a lawsuit today against energy manufacturers: 

“Politically-motivated legal actions over the shared global challenge of climate change have no place in the courtroom—whether they target a handful of companies as here or an entire industry. This pointless lawsuit is about trying to impose liability over policy positions, including from decades ago, and even the companies’ current engagement in environmental policies with which the District Attorney General’s office disagrees. The issues raised in this lawsuit are entirely political, not legal—this is why a judge called them “hyperbolic” last year when dismissing the New York AG’s claims based on essentially the same allegations.

Repeating a tired, false narrative does not make it any more true. It is disturbing to all manufacturers when the law is selectively applied and distorted for political purposes. Trying to scapegoat energy manufacturers, whether here or in other lawsuits, is not going to solve climate change, which is one of the most important challenges of our time. If the District and other governments really care about doing something about climate change, which we hope they do, they should focus on collaborating with the industry to foster the policies and innovations required to address this challenge.”

-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.