The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a bid by ExxonMobil (XOM.N), opens new tab and Suncor Energy (SU.TO), opens new tab to scuttle a lawsuit brought by officials in Boulder, Colorado that seeks to hold the oil companies liable for helping fuel climate change in a case that could affect dozens of similar lawsuits around the country.
The justices on Monday took up an appeal by the companies of a lower court’s ruling that let the litigation move forward. The suit alleging state law violations by the companies seeks unspecified monetary damages for costs incurred by Boulder associated with mitigating the impact of climate change.
President Donald Trump’s administration backed the appeal by the oil companies.
The Boulder litigation is the latest chapter in efforts by numerous U.S. jurisdictions seeking damages from companies that extract, produce, distribute or sell fossil fuels. These plaintiffs are seeking compensation for harms they attribute to the role these companies played in causing climate change.
The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing more of the sun’s heat to be trapped, which leads to a rise in the average global temperature over time.
“As our filings make clear, climate policy shouldn’t be set through fragmented state‑court actions, and we look forward to making that case before the court,” an Exxon spokesperson said on Monday.
The Boulder government officials in their 2018 lawsuit accused the U.S.-based Exxon and Canada-based Suncor of misleading the public about the role that their products played in exacerbating climate change while profiting from unchecked fossil fuel sales. The companies deny wrongdoing.
The plaintiffs have said the oil companies should cover past and future costs incurred by the city and county governments for steps taken to mitigate the effects of climate change, citing infrastructure repairs, environmental damage, emergency management and harms to public health.
