Down at the bottom of the article, there’s a pretty detailed explanation:
Follow the paper trail and you’ll find that it’s likely because AFPM (and its member organizations) are reliable donors for AGs and for their governing organization, the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA).
As tracked by the Center for Media and Democracy, AFPM donated $246,720 from 2014-2016, $60,625 in 2017, $220,725 from 2019-2020, $40,000 in 2021 and another $75,150 in 2023. In sum, over the last ten years, AFPM organizationally has funneled at least $643,220 to RAGA overall. Member groups have also funneled money to RAGA, including Valero ($225,000 in 2023,) Exxon ($100,000 in 2023,) Chevron ($25,000 in 2023), and more.
Such a favorable financial dynamic means that individual AGs benefit hugely from AFPM dollars, even when the people of their states don’t, and — as the numbers make clear — the people of their states don’t.
This is not surprising at all whatsoever. These companies want to use the Republican controlled courts to de-fang the Clean Air Act and gut the EPA so their rich donors can continue to dump chemicals and pollute without millions of dollars in fines.
This has been the Republican and Corporate Democrats long term strategy for decades. The Republicans are just not hiding it anymore.