JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a lawsuit against five states over energy policies that he claims are threats to Missouri energy.

The lawsuit, filed through the U.S. Supreme Court, challenges the states of California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

Bailey contends that those five states want a global carbon tax on the traditional energy industry, citing concerns with climate change. He argues that the five states cannot set emissions policies that affect other states, such as regulating energy.

“I will always fight to put Missouri consumers first, which includes protecting Missouri energy when it comes under attack by other states,” said Bailey on the lawsuit via a news release. “California and its radical counterparts are working to upend our economy with their unconstitutional climate agenda. My office will not allow a state with zero respect for the rule of law to dictate how Missourians live their lives.”

The lawsuit aims to resolve whether states can impose regulations on global carbon emissions that affect other states, in addition to the federal government’s role in such measures. With a global carbon tax, Bailey claims something as small as a gas station in rural Alabama selling a gallon of gas damages may lead to penalties.

The lawsuit asserts that states rely on traditional energy sources like oil, natural gas, and coal and that changes imposed by other states could lead to economic disruptions.

Eighteen other states have joined Missouri in filing the lawsuit, according to Bailey’s office.