An environmental group in California spearheaded litigation and administrative proceedings in all fifty states, as well as this lawsuit in federal court against the EPA and the Departments of the Interior, Defense, Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, to try to force government to impose further greenhouse gas emissions reduction policies under a "public trust" theory. The federal suit was brought by WildEarth Guardians, Kids vs. Global Warming and five individuals who sought to preempt the federal legislative and regulatory processes by getting a federal judge to compel massive societal changes that they believe are necessary to address climate change.
On Oct. 31, 2011, the NAM moved to intervene in this litigation, because the law suit, if successful, would have a dramatic effect on manufacturing processes and investments, increasing production and transportation costs, decreasing global competitiveness and driving jobs and businesses abroad. The litigation, which seeks a minimum 6% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions every year, would be devastating to the entire U.S. economy.
Along with our motion to intervene, we asked the court to dismiss the law suit for various reasons: (1) the case presents political questions that the courts are not able to resolve, (2) the plaintiffs lack standing because their injuries are too speculative and not likely to be reduced by the relief sought, (3) the public trust doctrine does not exist under federal law and the claims have been displaced by federal regulation in this area, and (4) the doctrine does not apply to the atmosphere or require a duty to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
A hearing was held before Judge Edward Chen on November 30, 2011 to determine whether to grant the government's request that the case be transferred from a federal court in northern California to one in the District of Columbia. The NAM supported this request. On December 6, the court agreed, ordering the case transferred. A hearing was held on April 2, and the judge granted our motion to intervene. A hearing was held on May 11 to consider our motion to dismiss the case.
On May 31, Judge Wilkins granted our motion to dismiss. He ruled that public trust claims are grounded in state, not federal, law, and the allegations in this suit represent "a significant departure" from the public trust doctrine as it has been traditionally applied to water-related activities. Federal courts may exercise jurisdiction in a case if it raises a federal question, but the public trust doctrine is a matter of state law. The judge also ruled that even if the doctrine had been a federal common law claim at one time, it has been displaced by federal regulation under the Clean Air Act. Citing the American Electric Power case from the Supreme Court, he found that federal judges may not set limits on greenhouse gas emissions "in the face of a law empowering EPA to set the same limits, subject to judicial review only to ensure against action arbitrary, capricious, . . . or otherwise not in accordance with the law."
The court closed with a suggestion that the parties need not "stop talking to each other once this Order hits the docket. All of the parties seem to agree that protecting and preserving the environment is a more than laudable goal, and the Court urges everyone involved to seek (and perhaps even seize) as much common ground as courage, goodwill and wisdom might allow to be discovered."
That is certainly a laudable suggestion, as the plaintiffs have filed administrative petitions in 39 states and the District of Columbia to seek similar relief at the state level, and 31 of those have already been denied. Suits were brought in 10 other states, and were dismissed in 9 of them, many with appeals or amended complaints in the works.
However, the plaintiffs filed a motion for reconsideration of the court's ruling, and the NAM filed an opposition on 7/16/12. The motion was denied on 5/22/13.