The latest signs are showing that the momentum behind Lawfare’s movement is faltering, with Puerto Rico abandoning climate lawsuits against American Energy Companies later last week. [emphasis, links added]
In a notice filed with the U.S. District Court on Friday, the government announced that it would “voluntarily dismiss the entire case.”
Although it does not provide further explanation, Since the filing last July, Puerto Rico's lawsuit has been represented by Sher Edling, which is disconnected from the island's energy reality: More than 97% of electricity comes from fossil fuels.
The withdrawal came months after Puerto Rico's newly elected governor Jenniffer González-Colón took office.
As the island faces a chronic power outage, González-Colón prioritizes stabilizing the island’s energy grid, including handling more U.S. liquefied natural gas.
Puerto Rico is not the first climate plaintiff to cause regret for buyers. King County, Washington dismissed the lawsuit in 2021, and the Pacific Coast Fishermen Association withdrew the lawsuit in 2023.
At the same time, several other cases are facing Involuntary In recent months, courts across the country have been fired as they reject their merits.
Litigation campaign loses steam
The territory's voluntary dismissal comes after the Trump administration's efforts to impose a wrench in a billionaire-backed climate litigation campaign last week.
On Wednesday, the Justice Department sued four states for climate litigation and superfund legislation.
The government believes that climate laws prevent the federal government from prioritizing access to energy resources and reducing household costs, and the constitution allows the government to achieve these goals without hesitation:
“When the country should contribute to the national efforts to ensure reliable domestic energy sources, [states are] Select Obstacle. The country's constitution and laws do not tolerate such intervention. ” (Added emphasis)
Additionally, in a letter to Governor Gonzalez-Cologne last month, the American Energy Institute (AEI) called on her to “guise the attorney general to withdraw complaints from Puerto Rico”, highlighting the enormous harm these lawsuits have caused to the islanders:
“These cases undermine your administration’s plans to pursue Puerto Rico’s energy policy, as well as the Trump administration’s energy abundance agenda. These lawsuits are part of a coordinated legal attack on our quality of life. ” (Added emphasis)
The AEI also asked the governor to “put a summary of his girlfriend in a lawsuit against San Juan and Puerto Rico, which would be beneficial to the dismissal of bias.”
In terms of his case, the San Juan case recently found himself in a popular seat after a federal judge issued a harsh condemnation by an outside lawyer representing the case and asserted that he had stolen the complaint.
Bottom line: Puerto Rico's withdrawal from the climate litigation phase should be another wake-up call. The push to earn political points in court – often funded and driven by external interests – does not bring results.
As the number of cases dropped or dismissed continues to increase, one thing becomes clearer: the strategy of resorting to climate policy to exist is a failure, and it is time to rethink the approach.
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