The battle over Maine climate law is heating up.
State Representative William Tour (R-East Machias) launched LD 635 last month, a bill intended to end Attorney General Aaron Frey’s frivolous lawsuit against major oil companies. [emphasis, links added]
The bill is crucial: It seeks to “guise the attorney general’s lawsuits filed by the big oil companies on climate change.”
Essentially, this legislation is about prioritizing Maine’s economic well-being rather than politically driven legal action.
Frey's lawsuit is just the latest example of climate litigation activities against the fossil fuel industry – This movement ends up hurting consumers and businesses, and is hardly achieved in terms of actual climate solutions.
Climate law is not the answer
In addition to the Business and Economic Development Group calling Frey’s lawsuit a lawsuit, it is a political “hail Mary” that can save faces in a personnel scandal – Maine Policy Institute (MPI) Emphasizing what it means to Mainers, the company is more dependent on oil and gas than any other state in the country:
“Litigation against Big Oil is expensive and time-consuming, and it is totally inappropriate to promote chain chain support with such a long time when Maine is already in the terrible financial strait.”
History shows that similar lawsuits are nothing more than long-term court glasses.
Cases in states such as Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware have been completely dismissed or severely restricted due to legal challenges in holding companies responsible for global phenomena.
Even if cases are underway, such as the pursuits in Hawaii, they often take years (if not decades) to end and eventually divide the trial attorney’s pockets without any obvious benefits to the public.
MPI emphasizes that market-based solutions are not litigation, but market-based solutions. The energy industry has transitioned to low-carbon technologies through private investment and innovation.
Trying to punish energy companies through litigation would ignore this reality and risk increasing costs by relying on the owners of affordable and reliable energy.
AG Aaron Frey's Politically Motivated Legal Crusade
Frey's lawsuit is not an isolated case, it is part of a broader trend in legal proceedings using the Attorney General's office to conduct political allegations.
Over the past few months, Frey has inserted Maine into several high-profile legal battles with other Blue State attorneys generals who have focused on opposing the other end of the aisle.
this Maine Wires It has been reported that since Frey’s appointment, the case in Maine has changed significantly and shifted in a clear political direction:
“All of these actions have a unique ideology and together constitute the argument that Frey is more politically driven in a politically driven way than ever recently.”
His timing of action raises serious questions, especially about its relevance to the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
Frey faced criticism for shifting the Attorney General’s Office from traditional state-level concerns such as fraud investigations and public safety, instead opting for a high-profile lawsuit that aligns with the broader partisan agenda.
His involvement in climate law in particular seems to be more about political gestures than promoting sincere and meaningful environmental policies.
Furthermore, Frey is increasingly involved in the legal battles of political allegations, which may be related to his efforts to rebuild credibility after facing past disputes on a controversial agricultural stance.
Maine Wire details the extreme timing of Frey’s climate lawsuit:
“However, this politicized bend may be more than the Trump administration's return. Frey joined the lawsuit against 'big oil', for example, when Kennebeck County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney was challenged, he was seen as a leftist further away.”
While public officials often seek to shape their legacy, prioritizing whether high-profile lawsuits that Maine directly focuses on are truly in the state’s best interests has raised doubts.
AG Aaron Frey's Top Images Through News Center Maine/YouTube Screenshots
Reading break in the climate of Eid
