Washington, D.C. — In response to fifteen state attorneys general filing an amicus brief in support of manufacturers before Judge William Alsup in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Lindsey de la Torre, executive director of the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP), released the following statement:

“This brief signed by 15 attorneys general from across the country is a significant step in defending manufacturers in America and discouraging further costly litigation. With strong support from the attorneys general across the country, manufacturers look to spend less time in the courtroom fighting baseless lawsuits that enrich trial lawyers and more time working towards meaningful solutions.”

Among the signees is Attorney General Cynthia Coffman of Colorado, where a lawsuit was just filed by the City of Boulder, Boulder County and San Miguel County.

In their brief, the attorneys general note the potential slippery slope presented by the lawsuits, writing, “States have an especially strong interest in this case because the list of potential defendants is limitless. Plaintiffs’ theory of liability involves nothing more specific than promoting the use of fossil fuels. As utility owners, power plant operators, and generally significant users of fossil fuels (through facilities, vehicle fleets and highway construction, among other functions), States and their political subdivisions themselves may be future defendants in similar actions.”

The amicus brief was signed by attorneys general from Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Manufacturers Respond to Boulder Lawsuit

Washington, D.C.—The following statement was released by Lindsey de la Torre, executive director of the Manufacturers’ Accountability project (MAP), a Project of the National Association of Manufacturers, in response to reports that Colorado municipalities, including the City of Boulder, are planning to file a climate lawsuit against manufacturers:

“Today in Colorado, we’re seeing another example of trial attorneys attempting to enrich themselves at the expense of manufacturers and manufacturing workers. These baseless lawsuits do nothing to improve the environment and are a waste of taxpayer resources. While manufacturers are working toward meaningful solutions and are reducing emissions, cities are wasting time suing them for making products Americans rely on for their everyday lives.”

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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.

The NAM’s Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) is calling on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate potential wrongdoing committed by eight California municipalities and New York City in their municipal bond offerings.

These nine municipalities have brought lawsuits seeking damages from manufacturers for the impacts of climate change on their cities. These claims for damages, however, run contrary to the municipalities’ assessments of the impacts of climate change in their municipal bond offerings, raising serious questions about whether bondholders – or the courts – have been misled.

“Over the course of our work advocating for manufacturers in America, we have seen several examples of municipalities asserting specific impacts of climate change. Conversely, bonds offered by these same municipalities state that such predictions are impossible to measure,” MAP Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre wrote in a letter to the SEC’s Public Finance Abuse Unit. “The NAM is increasingly concerned by the municipalities assertions in their legal filings and the approach used to attract investors to its bond offerings.”

Read the full letter sent to the SEC’s Public Finance Abuse Unit here.

Manufacturers Respond to de Blasio State of the City Speech
MAP Questions Fairness in NYC Climate Lawsuit

Washington, DC — The following statement was released by Lindsey de la Torre, executive director of the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP), in response to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s State of the City speech:

“Every one of New York City’s pension plans is underfunded, and New Yorkers are paying substantially more for electricity than the national average—and yet Mayor de Blasio’s solution is to sue manufacturers and divest those funds of one of the most crucial sectors in the American economy. These actions aren’t ‘fair’ and are a direct threat to the jobs and livelihoods of manufacturing workers in New York and across America. Manufacturing is too important to the Empire State.”

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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.

Lindsey de la Torre joins the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) as Executive Director of the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) and Special Counsel to the Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA). A veteran of the Bush White House, the Department of Justice and a Fortune 500 company, de la Torre will work with elected officials, media and the public in support of manufacturers facing baseless lawsuits across the country.

“Lindsey’s arrival could not come at a more crucial moment, with a growing number of public officials joining activists and plaintiffs’ lawyers in a misguided campaign to target manufacturers across the country,” said NAM Senior Vice President and General Counsel Linda Kelly.

“Lindsey brings with her years of legal expertise and a thorough understanding of this growing threat to manufacturers. Her addition to the team will bolster efforts to push back against attacks and shed light on those who would abuse our legal system to further their own political agendas.”

More information about the MCLA can be found here. More information about the MAP can be found here.