ICYMI – MAP’s Phil Goldberg Featured on the Energy Impacts Podcast to discuss Climate ‘Lawfare’
Manufacturers Accountability Project (MAP) Special Counsel Phil Goldberg recently joined host David Blackmon for the relaunch of his podcast, “Energy Impacts.” They discussed the increase in climate lawsuits targeting manufacturers, explored the legal and economic implications, and addressed what these cases mean for jobs, consumers, and the rule of law. Goldberg also commented on the growing number of court orders to dismiss state climate lawsuits in recent weeks.
Notable comments by Goldberg from the podcast:
- “[W]e started the Manufacturers Accountability Project because we want to be part of the solution. We want to be part of the dialogue, but litigation and suing isn’t always the answer.”
- “The AEP vs. Connecticut case went up to the Supreme Court in 2011 and the court said, no, this is not a liability issue. We’ve got federal agencies like the EPA to deal with climate matters. And that’s a good thing. We don’t want judges doing this on an ad hoc case-by-case basis. This was something of special federal interest and it would be inappropriate to use any kind of state law to govern emissions and climate change issues.”
- “All these cases are about trying to govern and impose liability on worldwide emissions around the world and the global production and promotion and sale of these fuels. And that’s beyond the role of any state law, whether it’s a state Consumer Protection Act law, whether it’s a state public nuisance law, whether it’s any of these things.”
- “The manufacturing community is fully engaged on [supporting more sustainable energy for human activity and the planet] at every different level, and that should be where the focus of the public policies should be: how do we develop the innovations and how do we develop the technologies that are going to allow us to do that so that we can sustain modern life and sustain the planet.”
A replay of the podcast can be viewed here: