A Colorado climate lawsuit against ExxonMobil and Suncor is heading toward the US Supreme Court in a case that could reshape whether cities and states can use traditional tort law to make fossil-fuel companies answer for climate-related costs.
The United States Supreme Court is preparing to hear a major dispute arising from Boulder County, Colorado’s climate litigation against ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2018, alleges that fossil-fuel companies misled the public about climate risks and should bear part of the financial burden associated with climate-related impacts.
The companies dispute the claims and argue that lawsuits of this kind improperly attempt to regulate global greenhouse-gas emissions through state law, an area they contend belongs within federal environmental regulation.
The litigation has assumed greater significance following catastrophic climate-related disasters in Colorado, including the 2021 Marshall Fire, which caused roughly $2 billion in damage.
The Supreme Court’s intervention could affect dozens of similar climate-accountability lawsuits brought by state and local governments across the United States.
Justice Samuel Alito has recused himself from the case, meaning eight justices are expected to participate.
A ruling favourable to the energy companies could make state-law climate damages claims substantially harder to pursue. A ruling allowing Boulder’s case to proceed could strengthen similar actions seeking to make corporations answer in state courts for alleged climate-related deception and damage.
The Supreme Court may, however, resolve narrower jurisdictional questions without deciding the ultimate merits of the allegations.
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SOURCE: Associated Press — Supreme Court to Hear Major Climate Case
