{"id":377496,"date":"2025-05-07T19:19:59","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T17:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=377496"},"modified":"2025-05-07T19:20:01","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T17:20:01","slug":"puerto-rico-ditches-billion-dollar-climate-lawsuit-following-trumps-blue-state-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=377496","title":{"rendered":"Puerto Rico Ditches Billion-Dollar Climate Lawsuit Following Trump\u2019s Blue State Crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE DAILY CALLER<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Daily<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Audrey Streb<\/a>
<\/strong>Contributor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puerto Rico withdrew its $1 billion climate lawsuit against the oil and gas industry on Friday following the Trump administration\u2019s move to block two states from seeking legal damages for similar alleged environmental damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, the territory\u2019s government said in the notice<\/a> that it \u201cvoluntarily dismisses this entire case,\u201d with no further elaboration as to why. President Donald Trump has repeatedly condemned state-level climate policies that impact domestic energy production, and on April 30, his Department of Justice (DOJ) filed two separate lawsuits against Hawaii<\/a> and Michigan<\/a> after both states considered filing similar complaints against the oil and gas industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis dismissal adds to the growing momentum among federal and state courts holding that states and municipalities cannot use state laws to sue over climate change,\u201d Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr. of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP, counsel for Chevron Corporation wrote in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. \u201cThese claims are precluded and preempted by federal law and must be dismissed under clear U.S. Supreme Court precedent.\u201d (RELATED: Puerto Rico Hits Oil Industry With $1 Billion Lawsuit Over \u2018Climate Change\u2019 Effects)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notice to dismiss the suit was filed \u201cwithout prejudice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lawsuit, originally filed<\/a> in July 2024 by Puerto Rico\u2019s Secretary of Justice Domingo Emanuelli Hern\u00e1ndez, alleged BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and a number of other energy companies engaged in using unfair and dishonest trade practices by allegedly failing to provide warnings about the environmental risks of fossil fuel use, according to an E&E News translation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puerto Rico\u2019s move to drop the case comes just days after the Trump administration took action against both Michigan and Hawaii, which had previously announced that they intended to sue the fossil fuel industry. The Trump administration claimed that the states were engaging in \u201cextraordinary extraterritorial reach.\u201d (RELATED: Trump Admin Sues To Block Blue States From Taking Fossil Fuel Companies To Court Over Climate Change)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump, taking a firm stance against state-led climate initiatives that may inhibit domestic energy production, signed<\/a> an executive order on April 8 directing the attorney general to \u201cidentify all State and local laws, regulations, causes of action, policies, and practices\u201d that might be \u201cunconstitutional\u201d or \u201cburdening\u201d energy production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn affordable and reliable domestic energy supply is essential to the national and economic security of the United States, as well as our foreign policy,\u201d the order reads. \u201cSimply put, Americans are better off when the United States is energy dominant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up an executive orders about classroom discipline in the Oval Office at the White House on April 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawaii filed its legal complaint<\/a> against several large oil companies just hours after the DOJ filed its suit against the state. Hawaiian officials condemned the the DOJ\u2019s lawsuit in a press release<\/a> shared May 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have an obligation to the people of Hawaii, to do everything in our power to fight deceptive practices from these fossil fuel companies that erode Hawaii\u2019s public health, natural resources and economy,\u201d Hawaii Attorney General Lopez said in the release. \u201cThe federal lawsuit filed by the Justice Department attempts to block Hawaii from holding the fossil fuel industry responsible for deceptive conduct that caused climate change damage to Hawaii,\u201d he continued.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Energy Institute (AEI) sent a letter<\/a> asking Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n to drop the lawsuit on April 25, writing that \u201cclimate lawfare threatens to derail your administration\u2019s common-sense approach. The climate plaintiffs are advancing a fundamentally neocolonial agenda. They are steering Puerto Rico toward a \u2018green\u2019 energy future it did not choose \u2014 one that ignores the basic needs of its people, who simply require cheap and reliable electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American Energy Institute applauds the withdrawal of Puerto Rico\u2019s climate lawsuit,\u201d founder and CEO of AEI Jason Isaac wrote in a statement to the DCNF. \u201cThis decisive step \u2014 taken shortly after our correspondence with Governor Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n \u2014 shows she\u2019s putting Puerto Rico\u2019s energy needs ahead of fringe climate ideology. By rejecting the alarmist lawfare agenda, the Governor is backing President Trump\u2019s energy dominance strategy and standing up for affordable, reliable power for her constituents. It\u2019s a big win for energy sanity and the people of Puerto Rico.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Puerto Rico Department of Justice did not immediately respond to the DCNF\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Puerto Rico withdrew its $1 billion climate lawsuit against the oil and gas industry on Friday following the Trump administration\u2019s move to block two states from seeking legal damages for similar alleged environmental damages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":377499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691829604,691819148,691824765,691833487],"class_list":{"0":"post-377496","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-climate-lawsuits","9":"tag-oil-and-gas","10":"tag-puerto-rico","11":"tag-us-president-donald-j-trump","13":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0843166.jpg?fit=2724%2C1828&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1AcE","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":235524,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=235524","url_meta":{"origin":377496,"position":0},"title":"Puerto Rico Greens Launch a RICO Lawsuit Against Big Oil","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"21\/12\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Big oil is accused of conspiring to deceive the public into thinking the current warming might not have been caused by Anthropogenic\u00a0CO2.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0GISP-2-Warm-Periods.webp?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0GISP-2-Warm-Periods.webp?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0GISP-2-Warm-Periods.webp?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0GISP-2-Warm-Periods.webp?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":430113,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=430113","url_meta":{"origin":377496,"position":1},"title":"DOE green lights project for Puerto Rico\u2019s electric grid","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/03\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917 but have yet to enjoy such fruits of citizenship as a reliable, storm-resistant electric grid. Nine years after devastating hurricanes wiped out the entire territory\u2019s electric infrastructure, costing three thousand lives and leaving many without power for over a year, the federal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Caribbean Transmission Development Company (CTDC)\"","block_context":{"text":"Caribbean Transmission Development Company (CTDC)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=caribbean-transmission-development-company-ctdc"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0Puerto-Rico-Old-San-Juan.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0Puerto-Rico-Old-San-Juan.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0Puerto-Rico-Old-San-Juan.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0Puerto-Rico-Old-San-Juan.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0Puerto-Rico-Old-San-Juan.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":236105,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=236105","url_meta":{"origin":377496,"position":2},"title":"Municipalities of Puerto Rico v. Exxon Mobil, Part 1","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"25\/12\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Where does the Milberg firm say the full image \u201cMost Serious Problem\u201d ad and the others source from?","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-794.png?fit=1200%2C643&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-794.png?fit=1200%2C643&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-794.png?fit=1200%2C643&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-794.png?fit=1200%2C643&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-794.png?fit=1200%2C643&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":237809,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=237809","url_meta":{"origin":377496,"position":3},"title":"Municipalities of Puerto Rico v. 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A high-profile climate lawsuit threatens reliable energy supplies.","rel":"","context":"In \"blue states\"","block_context":{"text":"blue states","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=blue-states"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMZtqwaiiSQZSRAim3i8mBB2mzwhKUp6KZfqOzAO44s6NEHmonIrCSAGvlDjnhHj8AmOfxKbGb5UtkQjPXAL4dr4MWp0dPavdtYNOt6tAexZOlIcXmo8H1lisebISzB.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMZtqwaiiSQZSRAim3i8mBB2mzwhKUp6KZfqOzAO44s6NEHmonIrCSAGvlDjnhHj8AmOfxKbGb5UtkQjPXAL4dr4MWp0dPavdtYNOt6tAexZOlIcXmo8H1lisebISzB.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMZtqwaiiSQZSRAim3i8mBB2mzwhKUp6KZfqOzAO44s6NEHmonIrCSAGvlDjnhHj8AmOfxKbGb5UtkQjPXAL4dr4MWp0dPavdtYNOt6tAexZOlIcXmo8H1lisebISzB.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMZtqwaiiSQZSRAim3i8mBB2mzwhKUp6KZfqOzAO44s6NEHmonIrCSAGvlDjnhHj8AmOfxKbGb5UtkQjPXAL4dr4MWp0dPavdtYNOt6tAexZOlIcXmo8H1lisebISzB.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMZtqwaiiSQZSRAim3i8mBB2mzwhKUp6KZfqOzAO44s6NEHmonIrCSAGvlDjnhHj8AmOfxKbGb5UtkQjPXAL4dr4MWp0dPavdtYNOt6tAexZOlIcXmo8H1lisebISzB.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=377496"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":377500,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377496\/revisions\/377500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/377499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=377496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=377496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=377496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}