Attorney General Bob Ferguson says he looks forward to working with the coalition on innovative solutions to combat and reverse the harmful effects of climate change.”
Attorney General Bob Ferguson says he looks forward to working with the coalition on "innovative solutions to combat and reverse the harmful effects of climate change.” lastdjedai/Shutterstock

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has joined a coalition of attorneys general from across the country that will attempt to tackle climate change outside the non-efforts of a dysfunctional Congress.

The 25 states, cities, and counties involved in the new coalition filed a brief today in defense of President Obama's Clean Power Plan, which would limit greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. In addition, the coalition claims it will focus on holding fossil fuel companies accountable for the impacts of climate change, similar to how attorneys general once prosecuted tobacco companies for contributing to risk of cancer.

The initiative appears to have grown out of a series of state investigations launched into what Exxon Mobil may have known about the risks of climate change as early as the 1980s. Not long after the Los Angeles Times and Columbia University published a series of investigative articles about Exxon's climate research, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a subpoena of the company's records. California Attorney General Kamala Harris launched her own state investigation of Exxon in January.

"The participating states are exploring working together on key climate change-related initiatives, such as ongoing and potential investigations into whether fossil fuel companies misled investors and the public on the impact of climate change on their businesses," today's announcement reads. "In 2015, New York State reached a historic settlement with Peabody Energy – the world’s largest publicly traded coal company – concerning the company’s misleading financial statements and disclosures. New York is also investigating ExxonMobil for similar alleged conduct."

It's still unclear, however, whether AG Ferguson will take up an investigation of Exxon specifically. State Senator Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood) has asked the AG's office to launch a probe into whether Exxon violated state law, but the AG's office would not comment on whether it was considering the action.

Last week, the AG's office passed along the following statement from Ferguson:

I appreciate Senator Liias’s interest in this matter. In fact, I met with a coalition of stakeholders on this very issue last year, and we had a productive conversation. As I shared with that group at the time, while I don’t speak about ongoing investigations, including whether a particular one is underway, I can say that I have a strong interest in this issue.

We're curious to see where that "strong interest" takes us next.