Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel wants oil and gas companies to pay up for “shrinking ski seasons in the UP and disrupting the wonderful blooms of Holland’s Tulip Time Festival.”

Nessel on Thursday announced plans to sue the fossil fuel industry for damages she claims companies caused to the environment, and she’s soliciting attorneys and law firms to pursue “constitutional, statutory, tort and other applicable common law claims” on the state’s behalf.

“Warmer temperatures are shrinking ski seasons in the UP and disrupting the wonderful blooms of Holland’s Tulip Time Festival. Severe weather events are on the rise,” Nessel alleged in a statement. “These impacts threaten not only our way of life but also our economy and pose long-term risks to Michigan’s thriving agribusiness.”

The AG argues fossil fuel companies have known about the consequences of their business and instead of addressing pollution have “prioritized profits over people and the environment.”

“Pursing this litigation will allow us to recoup our costs and hold those responsible for jeopardizing Michigan’s economic future and way of life responsible,” she said.

Thursday’s warning shot at oil and gas companies aligns Michigan with other states including Minnesota, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island that have sued over contributions to the alleged climate crisis, The Detroit News reports.

Nessel told the news site that in addition to targeting Big Oil, her office may also pursue litigation against utilities and related industries that Michiganders rely on every day.

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Phil Goldberg, special council for the National Association of Manufacturers that represents Shell, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil among others, told the News the climate issues should be resolved at the capitol, rather than the courthouse.

“We share AG Nessel’s desire to address the challenge of climate change, but this litigation is not the type of action that is going to lead to meaningful solutions,” he said.

Nessel said she’s working with other state departments to assess the costs of dealing with the changing climate, which she told Bridge Michigan equates to “billions of dollars of losses” for Michiganders.

“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,” Nessel told the News.

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To get things started, Nessel is seeking proposals from experienced attorneys and law firms through a blind-bid process “with contracts being awarded based on the best value to the State, considering qualifications, experience, abilities, capacity, and cost-effectiveness.”

“The Attorney General will make the final decision based on recommendations from Department staff, ensuring an objective selection process that maintains bidder anonymity,” according to a Thursday press release.

The deadline to submit proposals is June 5, and awards will be posted after Nessel selects the winners.

While Michigan Climate Action Network Executive Director Denise Keele told Bridge Nessel’s planned litigation is “an amazing way to continue to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the damage the have wrought,” industry leaders contend the “meritless” lawsuits will waste taxpayer resources.

“Climate policy is for Congress to debate and decide, not a patchwork of courts,” Ryan Meyers, general counsel for the American Petroleum Institute, told Bridge, noting the industry is also responsible for providing “affordable, reliable American energy to U.S. consumers.”

How Nessel’s litigation might impact Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s investments in oil companies is unclear. Financial disclosures released in April revealed the governor has about $1 million of her $2.5 million investment portfolio with Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral, known as VTSAX.

The index fund consists of 3,717 stocks, including billions invested in Chevron, ExxonMobil Corp., and ConocoPhillips.