'Sue big oil': Youth climate activists press state attorney general to be more aggressive on climate change - WKOW

'Sue big oil': Youth climate activists press state attorney general to be more aggressive on climate change | Environment | wkow.com

MADISON (WKOW) – Teenage activists with Action for the Climate Future demonstrated inside of the Risser Justice Center, the headquarters of the state Department of Justice (DOJ), to call on Attorney General Josh Kaul to sue the fossil fuel industry.

For his part, Kaul is not closing the door on potential legal action against fossil fuel producers.

“Josh Kaul, protect our soil!” the protesters chanted in the building’s lobby. “Do your part and sue big oil!”

The several dozen teens repeatedly asked a security guard to let them speak to Kaul or another member of DOJ leadership.

Eventually, an administrator with the Division of Criminal Investigation spoke to the group.

The teens delivered a petition calling on the attorney general to bring lawsuits against fossil fuel companies.

The group expressed admiration for the strategy Kaul has employed against chemical companies like DuPont. The DOJ has joined several lawsuits against those corporations for the damages allegedly inflicted on Wisconsin communities.

Stella Augustson, one of the activists chosen to speak for the group, wants Kaul to use a similarly aggressive strategy in holding fossil fuel companies accountable for damage caused by climate change.

“Our representatives are not going to think that it's an issue unless we voice that it is an issue,” Augustson said.

Kaul could not meet with the activists in person. He was in Green Bay Tuesday.

In a virtual interview, the attorney general told 27 News that he has chosen to wait and see how lawsuits brought against fossil fuel companies by other states play out first.

“We have the benefit here of being able to see what unfolds in some other states,” Kaul said. “And based on that, we will decide what course of action to take.”

Minnesota brought a lawsuit against several fossil fuel companies in 2020. Last month, the US Supreme Court refused to hear the case, a win for the state that had originally brought the case in its own state court system, but the companies appealed to federal judges.

The lengthy legal proceedings and deep pockets of fossil fuel producers makes Kaul wary to bring a case. The attorney general argues his department has limited resources to hold polluters accountable.

“Having support from our legislature to support more folks who work on environmental enforcement both at the Department of Natural Resources and at DOJ,” Kaul said. “That would be hugely helpful.”

Help from the legislature is unlikely while Republicans remain in control of the branch as they and Kaul have butted heads over the years.

Activists like Augustson believe money shouldn't matter with the planet at stake.

“I want to make sure my generation and my future generations have a world to look forward to and to breathe in and to drink from,” she said.

27 News asked Kaul, who has been in office for five years, how much longer youth activists, like those that occupied his office’s lobby Tuesday, should expect to wait before the state brings action.

Kaul declined to give a timeline, and instead argued that he has already taken steps to address climate change.

“There have been efforts to rollback our efforts to fight climate change,” Kaul said. “During the Trump administration, we saw a lot of that, and my fellow [attorneys general] and I stood up against that and pushback against those efforts.”

The attorney general listed other examples of his work on climate change in an email he sent to some of the demonstrators that filled the Risser Justice Center’s lobby Tuesday. A spokesperson for Kaul sent 27 News a copy of the email, which appears in full below.

Thank you for contacting my office about the climate crisis. Protecting clean air and water is a priority for the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ). Our work seeking to hold accountable those who are allegedly responsible for PFAS contamination in Wisconsin is an example of how DOJ is taking action to protect our natural resources.

Climate change is an issue of the utmost importance, and we must effectively address it. We joined with other states to challenge the “Dirty Power Rule,” which would have prolonged the nation’s reliance on coal and frustrated state efforts toward cleaner sources of power generation. We also joined multistate challenges against efforts to roll back greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and trucks and for stationary sources in the oil and gas industry. And we continue to monitor, and engage with, the federal government’s efforts to combat climate change.

We are monitoring litigation brought by other states against members of the fossil fuel industry for climate-related harms. While we have not filed such a suit, we also have not ruled out the possibility of taking action. Our decision making has been and will continue to be guided by our assessment of how our limited resources can have the biggest impact for the people of Wisconsin.

I unfortunately won’t be at the Risser building when you’re submitting your petition. But I want to thank you for speaking out about this important issue. I hope you will continue to act to address critical issues such as climate change.

Sincerely,

Josh Kaul