WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department filed a complaint on Monday against Minnesota over its regulation of global greenhouse gas emissions, the latest in a series of federal actions in the state that have included a fraud probe and immigration raids.
The department alleges in its complaint that Minnesota is trying to regulate greenhouse gas emissions by suing energy companies in state court.
“President Trump promised to unleash American energy dominance, and Minnesota officials cannot undermine his directive by mandating that their woke climate preferences become the uniform policy of our nation,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement announcing the filing.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump declared a national energy emergency on the first day of his second term as president, issuing an executive order to “unleash America’s affordable and reliable energy and natural resources.”
Minnesota has been a target of the Trump administration. Last week, U.S. agents searched more than 20 locations in Minnesota as investigations into fraud in social-welfare programs continued.
The Trump administration also sent thousands of federal agents into the state earlier this year in an immigration crackdown and has sought records from Minnesota’s governor and attorney general as part of an investigation into interference with immigration enforcement.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Katharine Jackson)
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