LANSING, MI (WOWO) Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a lawsuit against some of the world’s largest oil companies, alleging that they conspired for decades to prevent competition from renewable energy and electric vehicles.
According to Nessel’s office, the suit—filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan—targets BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute, seeking financial damages and forfeiture of profits.
The 126-page complaint alleges that the companies acted like a cartel, using tactics such as purchasing renewable energy patents and restricting their use, filing lawsuits to block competitors, misleading the public about fossil fuel risks, and allegedly hiring hackers to surveil journalists and activists.
“Michiganders pay among the nation’s highest residential energy rates,” Nessel said. “These costs could have been prevented had the fossil fuel cartel not worked together to postpone innovation and eliminate cost-effective alternatives.”
The lawsuit is based on antitrust laws designed to protect consumers from monopolistic practices, rather than environmental statutes. Nessel’s office argues that, without the alleged collusion, Michigan residents would have had more affordable energy and transportation options while reducing climate-related harms.
Industry representatives have disputed the claims. Ryan Meyers, senior vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, said the lawsuit is “an unconstitutional affront to the federal government’s role in setting national energy and climate policy.”
The Trump administration has also filed a separate lawsuit seeking to block state-level climate litigation, arguing that such cases threaten energy independence and national security.
Nessel acknowledged that the case is likely to extend beyond her term as attorney general but said she hopes future officeholders will continue pursuing it.
“Michigan is facing this affordability crisis when it comes to our energy,” she said. “This is not a partisan issue.”
