The battle over climate lawfare in Maine is heating up.
State Representative William Tuell (R-East Machias) introduced LD 635 last month, a bill designed to put an end to Attorney General Aaron Frey’s frivolous lawsuit against major oil companies. [emphasis, links added]
The bill is as straightforward as it is necessary: it seeks to “direct the attorney general to drop the lawsuit filed against big oil companies concerning climate change.”
At its core, this legislation is about prioritizing Maine’s economic well-being over politically driven legal maneuvers.
Frey’s lawsuit is just the latest example of the climate litigation campaign targeting the fossil fuel industry – a movement that ultimately hurts consumers and businesses while achieving little in terms of real climate solutions.
Climate Lawfare Is Not the Answer
In addition to the business and economic development groups calling Frey’s suit for what it is – a political “Hail Mary” to save face amid a personnel scandal – the Maine Policy Institute (MPI) emphasized the implications it has for Mainers, which relies on oil and gas more than any other state in the country:
“Lawsuits against big oil are costly and time-consuming, and it is wholly inappropriate to initiate with such lengthy chain-of-causation support when Maine is already in dire financial straits.”
History has shown that similar lawsuits have been nothing more than prolonged courtroom spectacles.
Cases brought in states like Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware have been either dismissed outright or severely limited due to the legal challenges of holding individual companies responsible for a global phenomenon.
Even when cases proceed, such as the ongoing pursuit in Hawaii, they often take years, if not decades, to conclude and ultimately line the pockets of trial lawyers while offering no tangible benefits to the public.
Instead of litigation, market-based solutions should be the focus, MPI emphasized. The energy industry is already transitioning toward lower-carbon technologies through private investment and innovation.
Attempting to punish energy companies through lawsuits ignores this reality and risks driving up costs for Mainers who rely on affordable and reliable energy.
AG Aaron Frey’s Politically Motivated Legal Crusade
Frey’s lawsuit is not an isolated case, it’s part of a broader trend of using the Attorney General’s office for politically charged legal action.
Over the past several months, Frey has inserted Maine into multiple high-profile legal fights alongside other blue-state attorney generals, which are all exclusively focused on opposing the other side of the aisle.
The Maine Wire reports that the Maine AG’s caseload has shifted significantly since Frey’s appointment, and in a clear political direction:
“All of these actions share a distinct ideological bent, and taken together they form an argument that Frey is using the office of the attorney general in a more politically-driven manner than at any time in recent memory.”
The timing of his actions raises serious questions, specifically regarding its correlation to the results of the 2024 Presidential Election.
Frey has faced criticism for shifting the Attorney General’s office away from traditional state-level concerns like fraud investigations and public safety, opting instead to chase high-profile lawsuits that align with a broader partisan agenda.
His involvement in climate lawfare, in particular, seems more about political posturing than the promotion of sincere and meaningful environmental policy.
Additionally, Frey’s increasing involvement in politically charged legal battles likely coincides with his efforts to rebuild credibility after facing past controversies during a contested race for the AG position.
The Maine Wire details the all-too-likely timing of Frey’s climate lawsuit:
“There is potentially more to this politicized bent than the return of the Trump administration, though. Frey joined the suit against ‘big oil,’ for instance, at a time when he was being challenged for his job by Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney, who is seen as being even further to the left ideologically.”
While public officials often seek to shape their legacies, prioritizing high-profile litigation over Maine’s immediate concerns raises doubts about whether these actions truly serve the state’s best interests.
Top image of AG Aaron Frey via News Center Maine/YouTube screencap
Read rest at EID Climate
