U.S. Fossil Fuel Groups Pull Out of Climate Change Court Case

Three fossil fuel industry groups dropped their attempt to intervene in a court case over climate change this week after failing to reach an agreement on a unified legal position on climate science, court filings show.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), prominent trade groups in the oil and gas industry, along with the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), intervened in a federal case in which a group of teenagers sued the U.S. government for violating their constitutional rights by causing climate change.

The three groups were arguing that a judgment requiring the government to tighten environmental regulations would harm their business interests.  But discord arose among them after a judge ordered them to submit a joint filing stating their views on climate science.

A lawyer representing the three groups said in a court hearing on May 18 that they were unable to agree on the causes and effects of human activity and greenhouse gas emissions on the climate, transcripts of the proceedings show.

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