The lawsuits mark the administration’s latest attack on climate action in the name of “energy dominance” and has raised fears about states’ ability to pursue action against polluters.

The state of Hawaii has joined an intensifying legal battle by states and communities across the country to try to hold large fossil fuel firms accountable for the damaging climate impacts of their products.

President Donald Trump's administration has sued Hawaii and Michigan to try to stop them from filing lawsuits against major oil companies over the fossil fuel industry's role in climate change, accusing the Democratic-led states of overreach and imperiling domestic energy production.