22 states band together to sue New York over law that requires companies to make huge payouts — here's why it matters
New York is facing a major legal battle. Twenty-two other states are challenging its new law that demands fossil fuel companies pay for damages to our overheating planet, reported Reuters.
New York passed a law in December requiring coal, oil, and natural gas companies to contribute $75 billion over 25 years into a special fund. Starting in 2028, these companies will pay $3 billion annually based on how much they emitted between 2000 and 2018.
But West Virginia and 21 other states are fighting back. They've filed a lawsuit claiming the law punishes energy companies unfairly and could eliminate thousands of jobs.
"We're not going to allow left-wing states like California, New York, Vermont to dictate to the American people how they're going to get their electricity," said West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey at a press conference.
Following Vermont's lead last July, New York is the second state to create such a fund.
While these 22 states have banded together in this case, there is no indication yet that Vermont and New York might team up and recruit other states to work toward a nationwide fund.
This court battle represents an expanding divide about who should pay for extreme weather protection. The money collected would build roads, water systems, and sewage systems that protect communities from heat waves and flooding.
New York's governor believes companies that profited from activities that warm our planet should bear financial responsibility rather than residents. A spokesperson for Governor Hochul stated she "believes corporate polluters should pay for the wreckage caused by the climate crisis — not everyday New Yorkers."
If the law is struck down, taxpayers may end up funding these infrastructure costs instead of the companies whose products contributed to the problem.
You can support policies that demand accountability from major industries rather than placing the burden on taxpayers. Contact your representatives to ask about climate infrastructure plans in your state.
Should the government be able to control how we heat our homes?
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Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Consider investing in home improvements like better insulation or heat pumps that save money while reducing your impact. Rebates from the Inflation Reduction Act make these upgrades more affordable.
Many communities are also creating local climate action plans that need public support. Attend town halls and join community groups to influence how your neighborhood prepares for extreme weather.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
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Chicago Tribune
42 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Thousands take to the streets Saturday to protest Trump at Naperville's ‘No Kings' rally
From immigrant and reproductive rights to DOGE accessing personal data, Sharon Pfister keeps a list of her grievances with President Donald Trump's administration on her phone so she can regularly refer back to them. One of her latest concerns was the Saturday military parade in Washington, D.C., to recognize the U.S. Army's 250th birthday, which was being held at the same time that veterans benefits are being cut, said Pfister, a Woodridge resident. The military parade also coincides with Trump's 79th birthday. Despite growing up during the Vietnam War era, Pfister said she had never been to a protest or rally before Trump was elected. But they're more important now than ever, she said Saturday while attending the 'No Kings' rally in downtown Naperville. 'I am afraid of our democracy being disembodied little by little,' she said. A Naperville police officer monitoring the scene estimated a few thousand demonstrators participated in the gathering, which started at the Naperville Municipal Center and proceeded through the downtown streets as people carried homemade signs and chanted and drivers passing by honked their car horns. 'I feel to stay silent is to be complicit,' Mary Sunderland, a Woodridge resident, said. 'Every day is a new horror.' Among the most recent was the attack Thursday on U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, who tried to ask a question at a news conference being held by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and was removed from the room by security officers, taken to the ground and handcuffed. 'If they do that to a senator, what are they doing to a poor migrant?' Sunderland said. Immigrant rights was one of many concerns protesters voiced via signs with messages readying, 'Due process for immigrants,' 'Immigrants aren't enemies' and 'No human is illegal.' 'The way they are treating immigrants is horrendous,' said Hugh Flanders, of Aurora, a retired social studies teacher. 'How are we standing still and watching people being hunted because their skin color is wrong,' said Violet Lekic, of Romeoville. 'What is being done in Washington in America's name is not American.' Suzanne Akhras, a Syrian-American humanitarian activist, spoke of growing up in Syria when Hafez al-Assad came into power after a bloody coup. 'History has shown us repeatedly that dictatorships undermine the very principles of liberty and justice that we all enjoy,' said Akhras, who immigrated to the United States when she was 10. 'Dictatorships concentrate power only in a few of the elite that cozy up to that dictator, and it creates corruption and unfair systems for everyone. They suppress free thought and free speech and violate our basic human rights.' Akhras said the world is watching the United States. 'The right to protest is more than just an American privilege. It's a responsibility,' she said. '… Let's not squander this moment.' About 2,000 rallies took place nationwide as the 'No Kings' movement marked a nationwide day of defiance to denounce the Trump administration. 'We don't want kings. We don't want oligarchs,' Nancy Turner, co-leader of Indivisible Naperville, said. U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, addressed the Naperville crowd, saying he was trying to attend seven similar protests. 'You are not alone,' Foster said. '… Our democracy has been sucker-punched here.' Several attendees said they felt they needed to stand up for democracy. 'The change of government from democracy to fascism is my main concern,' said Shelley Gale, of Willowbrook. It took Gale two weeks to narrow down what she wanted to include on her protest sign, but ultimately decided on 'A con man is stealing your government' for the front and 'A draft dodger is firing veterans' on the back. 'I don't think Trump cares about anything but stealing our government,' she said. 'He's causing chaos and havoc. There's no due process and he's getting away with it.' Jim and Terri Simak, of Naperville, said they believe the country is going backwards. 'What is happening these days is beyond reasonable understanding,' Terri Simak said. 'It's wrong and it's dangerous. Trump feels he is above the law and that's not what we believe in.' The Rev. Sharon Rice, deacon of discipleship with the Community United Methodist Church in Naperville, said that as a person of faith she was concerned about the rise of Christian nationalism, people suffering, cuts to Medicaid and cruelty towards others. Rice said she hopes the rallies across the country send a powerful message. 'There are people who do care about their neighbors,' she said. 'They care about the cuts to social services that the vulnerable rely on. They are tired of this cruelty. There's a positive message to our young people and the country they will inherit: There is hope down the road.'
Chicago Tribune
42 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
The Army is set to celebrate 250 years with a parade that coincides with Trump's birthday
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Hours ahead of the parade, crowds of protesters with anti-Trump signs marched toward the White House, escorted by police vehicles and officers on bicycles. Some held a giant banner that read 'TRUMP MUST GO NOW.' Added just a few weeks ago to the Army's birthday celebration, the parade has triggered criticism for its price tag of up to $45 million and the possibility that the lumbering tanks could tear up city streets. The Army has taken a variety of steps to protect the streets, including laying metal plates down along the route. About 6 in 10 Americans say Saturday's parade is 'not a good use' of government money, including the vast majority of people, 78%, who neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. 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Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Down the homestretch, Cuomo's allies unleash millions to topple New York City mayoral rival
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The new broadcast spot paints the 33-year-old democratic socialist as too radical and inexperienced to assume the complicated job of running the nation's largest city. 'I was quite open to what would be considered being a radical from a very young age,' Mamdani is shown saying in a 2020 interview, before a narrator suggests the mayoral hopeful wants to move homeless New Yorkers into the city's subway stations. 'That's cruel to the homeless and dangerous for us,' the narrator warns. In an interview with WNYC in May, Mamdani proposed using vacant retail space in subway stations as homeless outreach and service hubs. The persistence of homeless people with presumed mental illness sleeping on city subways has rattled commuters and spurred candidates to delineate plans to tackle the problem. 'It's about getting people out of the subway system, not bringing them into the subway system,' spokesperson Andrew Epstein said in response to the ad. 'To have medical professionals stationed around the system is going to make everyone's commute safer.' The narrator then says Mamdani promises to defund the police and notes the state legislator called for the NYPD to be dismantled in 2020. Mamdani pushed back against those claims in an interview Saturday. 'It's yet another example of lies that are funded by the Trump billionaires who are putting millions of dollars behind Andrew Cuomo's campaign,' he said. 'I've been clear time and time again, I am not defunding the police.' Mamdani did, in fact, tweet in favor of defunding police departments in 2020. Epstein also noted the ad shows several clips of Mamdani wearing a kurta, a common South Asian article of clothing, though the candidate usually dons a suit and tie on the campaign trail. 'There's nothing that should be scary about wearing a kurta,' Epstein said. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents, has sported the garment in his own ads. Candidates are limited to spending around $8 million during the primary, but Cuomo is being boosted by the largest PAC ever to get involved in a New York City election. The anti-Mamdani ad came as Cuomo, Sharpton and other Black political leaders piled on Mamdani Saturday at Sharpton's National Action Network in Harlem. Speaking to reporters, Cuomo criticized Mamdani's short legislative record. 'You want to drive a bus, you need to be trained to drive a bus. You want to operate a hot dog cart, you have to get a permit,' Cuomo said. 'Only mayor of New York, no experience necessary? … You can go from five employees and the next day we put you in the seat and you run 300,000? We've had inexperienced mayors before. They've failed.' Sharpton expressed support for the former governor while deriding Mamdani's decision to tell his supporters to rank candidate Brad Lander second, instead of City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Lander and Mamdani cross endorsed Friday, in a nod to the relatively new ranked-choice voting system that allows New Yorkers to pick up to five candidates in order of preference. 'They say that Mamdani and Lander endorsed each other, so against the Black woman,' Sharpton said. 'Something about that politics ain't progressive to me.' A source with knowledge of discussion between the two camps said Mamdani had sought a cross endorsement with Adams over weeks of discussions. The state lawmaker also encouraged supporters to donate to her campaign ahead of a crucial fundraising deadline last month. No deal came of the talks. A person with knowledge of Adams' campaign strategy said the Council speaker has been courted by multiple candidates, but only recently began airing ads and is still finalizing her ranked-choice voting strategy. Meanwhile Mamdani dropped six figures on his own ad seeking to counter criticisms of his public safety platform. During his mayoral run, he has pledged to maintain NYPD's headcount. In the ad, Mamdani says he will create a Department of Community Safety that would take over responsibilities handled by officers, such as responding to mental health emergencies. The pro-Cuomo PAC has flooded the Democratic primary with $14.7 million, with no sign of abating. The super PAC, called Fix the City, reported raising $18.5 million in the latest filings with the Campaign Finance Board. 'Fix the City has and will continue to highlight why Andrew Cuomo is the mayor we need to ensure a safe and affordable city,' spokesperson Liz Benjamin said in a statement. 'We will also keep pointing out the records, positions, and deficiencies of other candidates who are intent on making the city less safe and less affordable.' Campaigns are prohibited from coordinating with the Super PACs supporting them. The city board fined Cuomo's campaign $756,994 for improperly coordinating with Fix the City over one of its broadcast ads. Jeff Coltin contributed reporting.
