LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday her intention to sue the fossil fuel industry for its role in changing Michigan's climate and threatening the state's environment, infrastructure, health and economy.

The oil and gas industry profited while knowingly selling products that cause climate change, Nessel’s office said in a document disclosing the coming lawsuits. The industry also deceived the public about climate change, Nessel alleged, leaving the state with the expenses of adapting to and recovering from the effects of warming.

"I don't know that there's a bigger issue facing the state of Michigan than climate change," Nessel said in an interview with The Detroit News. "We are talking about billions and billions of dollars in damages and we're already starting to see that on a day to day basis. We know this is only going to get worse."

With the suit, Michigan will join states such as Minnesota, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island that have filed climate fraud lawsuits against oil and gas companies, alleging petroleum products played a central role in contributing to the climate crisis.

Those states largely have targeted the big players in oil and gas, such as BP, ExxonMobil and Shell, though Nessel said Michigan's suit likely will target the same players, but said her office wouldn't rule out including utilities or other related industries that emit climate-changing pollution.

A representative from the Michigan Oil and Gas Association could not immediately be reached for comment.

Nessel's office is working with other state departments to assess the costs associated with climate change, such as the cost of expanding storm water systems to handle flooding caused by stronger storms, responding to natural disasters or supporting northern Michigan tourism economies dealing with dwindling ice and snow.

"This is going to be a massive discovery effort to find out exactly what our Michigan damages are now already and what can we expect to see in the future as a result of climate change," she said.

Nessel likened the climate change suits to similar legal pursuits against PFAS manufacturers, tobacco companies and opioid manufacturers.

"Big oil caused these problems and they ought to pay the expenses related to these damages," Nessel told The News.

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