Minnesota is Suing Climate Polluters: Why, How, and What’s Next?

Minnesota Attorney General Ellison made history last week when he filed a customer protection lawsuit against ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, and the American Petroleum Institute. This lawsuit aims to hold these major climate polluters accountable for their decades-long lies and misinformation about the climate harm their products have been causing in our state. But this is just the beginning and many Minnesotans are asking what comes next.

Listen to this webinar recorded on July 1 with guests from The Center for Climate Integrity, MN350, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, and Fresh Energy. Our experts discuss why now was the right time for this historic action, what it means for environmental and social justice, what makes Minnesota’s lawsuit different from other states, and what comes next.

Guests:
Michael Noble, Executive Director at Fresh Energy
Michael Noble is a 30-year energy leader, well-known for shaping and driving the major public policy innovations that are speeding Minnesota and the Midwest’s transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. As Executive Director of Fresh Energy, Michael builds and catalyzes partnerships to secure new policies and harness market forces to achieve visionary change. At this moment, with electricity becoming cleaner and transportation now the top source of carbon pollution,

J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director at Fresh Energy
J. is Fresh Energy’s science policy director. An expert in climate and energy policy at the state and national levels, her responsibilities include scientific analysis and policy development of clean energy solutions to global warming that will maximize economic opportunities. J. represents Fresh Energy at the global climate summits, and witnessed the historic 2015 Paris Agreement; she showcased Minnesota’s nation-leading deep carbon reductions at the 2017 Bonn Climate Summit.

Sam Grant, Executive Director, MN350
Sam Grant has been organizing around the intersection of economic, cultural and environmental justice since working on his college campus for divestment from South Africa and working for passage of legislation ensuring that both workers and communities have the right to know about toxic chemicals in their workplaces and communities. Sam brings decades of nonprofit leadership, transformative organizing, and love to the work of MN350.

Joy Anderson, Senior Staff Attorney, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
Joy is a senior staff attorney at Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, where she works on climate, water quality, and mining issues. Before joining MCEA, she was a partner at Minneapolis law firm Gray Plant Mooty, where she was a litigator and chair of the pro bono committee.

Alyssa Johl, Legal Director, The Center for Climate Integrity

Listeners can stay up to date on our work via our once monthly

Fresh Energy’s mission is to shape and drive bold policy solutions to achieve equitable carbon-neutral economies. Together we are working toward a vision of a just, prosperous, and resilient future powered by a shared commitment to a carbon-neutral economy. Learn about Fresh Energy's work and our bold "Vision 2030: Fresh Energy's Strategic Framework" at our website fresh-energy.org.


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