LEWISTON, Maine - Maine Attorney General Janet Mills has joined a group of attorneys general from around the country who say they will aggressively pursue climate change litigation, including defending the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan to limit carbon emissions from power plants and to investigate potential fraud by ExxonMobil.
The company allegedly knew about climate change as far back as the 1970s and misled the public and investors about the dangers it posed.
"One thing we hope all reasonable people can agree on is that every fossil fuel company has a responsibility to be honest with its investors and with the public about the financial and market risks posed by climate change," says New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Representing 17 states, the attorneys general, who are all Democrats, held a news conference in New York Tuesday where they vowed to fight any efforts to roll back meaningful progress made on climate change over the last eight years.
Maine Attorney General Janet Mills did not attend, but she released a statement saying global climate change demands immediate action.
"I am committed to using the authority of my office to address the problem in a meaningful way by defending important EPA regulations against attacks led by the coal industry and exploring litigation options that will hold the worst polluters accountable for their actions," Mills said.
