{"id":2422128,"date":"2025-04-10T13:52:50","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T17:52:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-latest-eo-has-blue-states-scrambling-the-doj-can-now-dismantle-their-climate-laws\/"},"modified":"2025-04-10T13:56:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T17:56:28","slug":"trumps-latest-eo-has-blue-states-scrambling-the-doj-can-now-dismantle-their-climate-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-latest-eo-has-blue-states-scrambling-the-doj-can-now-dismantle-their-climate-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s Latest EO Has Blue States Scrambling: The DOJ Can Now Dismantle Their Climate Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrumps-latest-eo-has-blue-states-scrambling-the-doj-can-now-dismantle-their-climate-laws%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2422128&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent executive order from President Donald Trump aims to enhance energy production in the U.S.and may lead the Department of Justice to challenge state climate change laws in court. This order comes amidst rising electricity demands, fueled by advances in technology such as artificial intelligence, and corresponds with the growing support for &#8220;climate superfund&#8221; laws at the state level. Trump&#8217;s directive emphasizes that state and local regulations should not exceed their authority and puts Democratic-led states at risk of federal legal action.<\/p>\n<p>Experts, like Columbia University\u2019s Michael Gerrard, warn that it would be a meaningful move for the federal government to pursue legal action against these state laws. Currently, states like Vermont and New York are involved in legal battles over their climate initiatives. Trump&#8217;s order has garnered support from the oil and gas industry,which sees it as a means to protect energy interests from state regulations viewed as excessive.<\/p>\n<p>In response, democratic governors are resolute in their commitment to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-concerning-foreign-policy\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Concerning Foreign Policy\">fight climate change<\/a>. California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Trump\u2019s approach as regressive,while the group Climate Mayors denounced the federal government&#8217;s overreach. The order&#8217;s implications could lead to wider challenges against various state environmental regulations,creating a contentious political climate around energy policy and climate action in the U.S.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A new executive order from President Donald Trump, which is part of his effort to invigorate energy production, raises the possibility that his Department of Justice will go to court against state climate change laws.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s order, signed Tuesday, comes as U.S. electricity demand ramps up to meet the growth of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/elon-musk-doubles-free-speech-offers-ominous-warning-artificial-intelligence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">artificial intelligence<\/a> and cloud computing applications, as well as federal efforts to expand high-tech manufacturing. It also coincides with &ldquo;climate superfund&rdquo; legislation gaining traction in various states.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;American energy dominance is threatened when State and local governments seek to regulate energy beyond their constitutional or statutory authorities,&rdquo; Trump said in the order.<\/p>\n<p>He said the attorney general should focus on state laws targeting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/zeldin-drive-dagger-straight-heart-climate-change-religion-axing-landmark-obama-era-ruling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">climate change<\/a>, an order that puts blue states in the crosshairs of the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Gerrard, director of the Columbia University&rsquo;s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, said it would be an &ldquo;extraordinarily bold move&rdquo; for the federal government to go to court to try to overturn a state climate law.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Gerrard said the quickest path for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/doj-suspends-senior-prosecutor-amid-deportation-court-battle-shouldnt-taken-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Department of Justice<\/a> is to try to join ongoing lawsuits where courts are deciding whether states or cities are exceeding their authority by trying to force the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-climate-agenda-wont-replace-jobs-it-seeks-to-kill-separate-ap-wapo-fact-checks-suggest\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s ... Agenda Won\u2019t Replace Jobs It Seeks To Kill, Separate AP, WaPo Fact-Checks Suggest\">fossil fuel industry<\/a> to pay for the cost of damages from climate change.<\/p>\n<p>Vermont and New York are currently fighting challenges in federal courts to climate superfund laws passed last year. Trump suggested the laws &ldquo;extort&rdquo; payments from energy companies and &ldquo;threaten American energy dominance and our economic and national security.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Separately, the Department of Justice could join lawsuits in defense of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-earth-is-on-fire-and-were-all-going-to-die-soon-dem-rep-pleads-with-thunberg-for-advice-for-her-panicked-9-year-old-daughter\/\" title=\"\u2018The Earth Is On Fire And We\u2019re All Going To Die Soon\u2019: Dem Rep P...s With Thunberg For Advice For Her Panicked 9-Year-Old Daughter\">fossil fuel industries<\/a> being sued, Gerrard said.<\/p>\n<p>Those lawsuits include ones filed by Honolulu, Hawaii, and dozens of cities and states seeking billions of dollars in damages from things like wildfires, rising sea levels and severe storms.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats say they won&rsquo;t back down<\/p>\n<p>Democratic governors vowed to keep fighting climate change.<\/p>\n<p>California Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/gavin-newsom-announces-plan-subvert-trumps-tariffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gavin Newsom<\/a> accused Trump of &ldquo;turning back the clock&rdquo; on the climate and said his state&rsquo;s efforts to reduce pollution &ldquo;won&rsquo;t be derailed by a glorified press release masquerading as an executive order.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The group Climate Mayors, which includes the mayors of America&rsquo;s biggest cities, said in a statement from its chair, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, that the federal government is overreaching its authority and ignoring the &ldquo;enormous costs of continued environmental destruction and the political and social harm of retreating American leadership.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>New York Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/homan-vows-give-hochul-last-thing-wants-ny-sanctuary-policies-dont-end\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kathy Hochul<\/a> and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, co-chairs of the U.S. Climate Alliance, which includes 22 governors, said, they &ldquo;will keep advancing solutions to the climate crisis.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil and natural gas industries, applauded Trump&rsquo;s order, saying it would &ldquo;protect American energy from so-called &lsquo;climate superfunds.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Directing the Department of Justice to address this state overreach will help restore the rule of law and ensure activist-driven campaigns do not stand in the way of ensuring the nation has access to an affordable and reliable energy supply,&rdquo; it said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s order set off talk in state Capitols around the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>That includes Pennsylvania, where Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is contesting a court challenge to a regulation that would make it the first major fossil fuel-producing state to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">force power plant owners pay<\/a> for greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n<p>John Quigley, a former Pennsylvania environmental protection secretary and a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania&rsquo;s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, wondered if the Department of Justice would begin challenging all sorts of state water and air pollution laws.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This kind of an order knows no bounds,&rdquo; Quigley said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to say where this could end up.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Donald Trump&#8217;s new executive order aims to boost energy production and suggests that the Department of Justice may challenge state climate change laws in court. Signed on Tuesday, this order coincides with increasing U.S. electricity demand driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and cloud computing, as well as federal initiatives to enhance high-tech manufacturing. It also aligns with the rising support for &#8220;climate superfund&#8221; legislation in various states. Trump stated that American energy dominance is at risk when state and local governments attempt to regulate energy beyond their legal authority, directing the attorney general to focus on these state laws targeting climate change, which could put blue states under scrutiny from the DOJ. Michael Gerrard from Columbia University noted that it would be a significant move for the federal government to challenge a state climate law in court.<\/p>\n<p>Gerrard mentioned that one approach for the DOJ could be joining existing lawsuits where courts are determining if states or cities are overstepping their authority by making fossil fuel companies cover climate change-related damages. States like Vermont and New York are currently involved in federal court battles over recently passed climate superfund laws, which Trump criticized as extorting payments from energy firms and jeopardizing national security.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic governors have pledged to continue fighting against climate change despite Trump&#8217;s actions. California Governor Gavin Newsom accused Trump of reversing progress on environmental issues, asserting that California&#8217;s pollution reduction efforts will not be hindered by what he described as an ineffective executive order.<\/p>\n<p>The Climate Mayors group expressed concern about federal overreach and emphasized the importance of addressing environmental destruction costs while maintaining American leadership on these issues. Governors Kathy Hochul of New York and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico reaffirmed their commitment to tackling the climate crisis through collaborative solutions.<\/p>\n<p>The American Petroleum Institute supported Trump&#8217;s order, claiming it would safeguard American energy interests against &#8220;climate superfunds.&#8221; The directive has sparked discussions among lawmakers across various states; for instance, Pennsylvania&#8217;s Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro is facing legal challenges regarding regulations aimed at making fossil fuel producers accountable for greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n<p>John Quigley, a former Pennsylvania environmental protection secretary, raised concerns about potential challenges from the DOJ against numerous state water and air pollution regulations due to this broad directive<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2422129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/7be142decd1f4868a88dda1884b49d1e-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[42793,32911,3634],"class_list":["post-2422128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-blue-states","tag-executive-order","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/7be142decd1f4868a88dda1884b49d1e-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2422128"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2422136,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422128\/revisions\/2422136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2422129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2422128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2422128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2422128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}