On April 8, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order “aimed at securing America’s energy dominance by removing unlawful and burdensome state-level impediments to domestic energy production.”
The order instructs the attorney general to “identify and take action against state laws and policies that burden the use of domestic energy resources and that are unconstitutional, preempted by federal law, or otherwise unenforceable.”
In particular, the order calls on the attorney general to focus on laws and policies purporting to address “climate change” policies, or involving “environmental, social, and governance” initiatives, “environmental justice,” carbon or “greenhouse gas” emissions, and funds to collect carbon penalties or carbon taxes.
The order specifically cites climate change laws in New York and Vermont, and California's carbon caps, as problematic.
The order directs the attorney general to submit a report to the president detailing actions taken and additional recommendations “to protect American energy” pursuant to the order within 60 days.
Reuters reports that the two Democratic governors who co-chair the U.S. Climate Alliance—Kathy Hochul of New York and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico—responded to the order saying that states could not be stripped of their authority and would not be deterred by the executive order.
