Left-wing senators call on AG Garland to sue fossil fuel companies

A group of left-wing senators have called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to sue fossil fuel companies for ostensibly misinforming the public on climate change over the decades.

"The fossil fuel industry has had scientific evidence about the dangers of climate change and the role that burning fossil fuels play in increasing global temperatures for more than 50 years," claimed Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in a letter to Garland, The Hill reported.

"The actions of ExxonMobil, Shell, and potentially other fossil fuel companies represent a clear violation of federal racketeering laws, truth in advertising laws, consumer protection laws, and potentially other laws, and the Department must act swiftly to hold them accountable for their unlawful actions," they urged the attorney general.

As precedent, they cited lawsuits against big tobacco firms in the 1990s and more localized lawsuits against fossil fuels companies that have already been filed.

The Biden administration has invested heavily in transitioning the country's energy usage toward renewable sources, including through the Inflation Reduction Act, which included electric vehicle credits to incentivize the purchase of such fossil-fuel-free modes of transportation.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.