Uthmeier is investigating environmental groups he says may have violated Florida’s ban on deceptive trade practices. (Photo courtesy of Uthmeier’s office)
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a subpoena Thursday to an environmental nonprofit and one of its programs as part of an investigation under the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
The subpoena, served to the Environmental Law Institute and its Climate Judiciary Project, demands the group disclose its funding sources, communications with Florida judges, and role in climate-related litigation.
“The Climate Cartel is trying to hijack our judicial system to accomplish their net-zero carbon agenda,” Uthmeier said in a press release. “But the Courts are not the place to push policy, let alone policy that can’t win at the ballot box. We are going to protect the integrity of our court system and hold anyone who is trying to deceive Floridians — especially its judiciary — accountable.”
The ELI was founded in 1969 and focuses on environmental law research, education, and policy analysis. CJP, housed within the nonprofit, provides seminars and materials for judges related to climate science and climate law.
Nick Collins, a spokesperson for ELI, said in a statement to the Phoenix that his organization plans to ensure Uthmeier’s information is “accurate.”
“We look forward to ensuring the Florida Attorney General has accurate information about the Environmental Law Institute and its work fostering a healthy environment founded on the rule of law.”
Uthmeier’s office wants all records revealing how the ELI and CJP interact with judges in Florida, including at trainings, seminars, and conferences, and who is financially backing the organization. It also wants to know about any correspondence between the organization and prominent climate activists. The subpoena is to find out whether any of these activities constitute deceptive practices under Florida law.
His investigation marks the latest anti-climate-change policy pushback under Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Most recently, Uthmeier in July launched an investigation into the Climate Disclosure Project and the Science Based Targets Initiative for similar alleged deceptive trade practices. In 2024, DeSantis signed a bill to delete the phrase “climate change” from state statute.
DeSantis a year earlier turned down more than $350 million in federal funding for energy efficiency initiatives in the Sunshine State, the Phoenix previously reported. That was followed by rejecting another $320 million in federal funding to reduce vehicle emissions, part of the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act intended for carbon-reduction projects.