Attorneys general for 16 GOP-dominated states are asking the Trump Administration to shield fossil fuel companies from lawsuits by states and environmental groups.

A letter submitted June 12 to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi calls for a “liability shield” to “stop activist-funded climate lawsuits,” as well as holding back federal funding to states who try to sue companies for their contributions to climate change. It also calls for making sure that any climate lawsuit would be handled in federal rather than state courts.  

The effort, led by Nebraska’s and West Virginia’s attorneys general, came after lawsuits by Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Minnesota, and California against companies for their role in climate change and misleading the public about their emissions.

In May, Trump’s Department of Justice sued New York and Vermont over their climate laws and filed preemptive lawsuits to prevent Hawaii and Michigan from suing in state courts over climate change.