Supreme Court Weighs Oil Companies’ Bid to Block Boulder Climate Lawsuit
The U.S. Supreme Court heard nearly two hours of arguments Monday over whether a Colorado climate lawsuit against Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy may proceed under state law.
Boulder’s city and county governments sued the companies in 2018, alleging they helped drive climate change, misled the public about the risks of fossil fuels and should pay for past and future costs including infrastructure repairs, environmental damage, emergency management and public-health harms. The Colorado Supreme Court previously allowed the case to move forward.
Exxon and Suncor argued that claims involving interstate and global air pollution are governed by federal law and cannot be pursued under state law. The Trump administration supported the companies, contending that Congress did not authorize Boulder’s suit through the Clean Air Act. …