Washington, D.C. — Phil Goldberg, Special Counsel for the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project, issued the following statement in response to the Vermont Attorney General filing a lawsuit against manufacturers over the impacts of climate change:

“We share Vermont’s commitment to the environment, but its lawsuit does nothing to advance meaningful solutions to climate change and will only make oil, gas and other energy staples more expensive for families and businesses throughout the state. What Americans deserve is a smart national policy, not a trial-lawyer driven litigation campaign.

“Manufacturers, including those in the energy industry, are focused on the fight against climate change every day and are investing major resources in developing ways to source and use energy more efficiently. We encourage Vermont and every state to focus on working with manufacturers to foster the policies and innovations required to address this global challenge—as the overwhelming majority of communities have done.”

-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.