Bloomberg Philanthropies, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s charity, has donated nearly $6 million to New York University School of Law to launch a center to help state attorneys general defend policies to combat climate change and protect the environment, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The State Energy & Environmental Impact Center will offer support to state attorneys general working on climate change and environmental issues and help coordinate attorneys general in several states who have similar interests. The center will also help set up the offices of state attorneys general with NYU fellows who can serve as special assistant attorneys general.
David Hayes, who served in the Department of the Interior as deputy secretary and chief operating officer for both former Presidents Bill Clinton Barack Obama, will serve as the center’s executive director.
“State attorneys general have a unique role in defending the citizens of their states from environmentally destructive actions and advancing the clean energy, climate change, and environmental interests of their constituents,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to working in close cooperation with state attorneys general around the country to support their efforts to address complex energy and environmental matters.”
Several state attorneys general have already filed lawsuits against the Trump administration over environmental regulations, such as a delay in implementing new efficiency standards for appliances like air conditioners.
