Supreme Court to Hear Oil Industry Challenge to Boulder Climate Suit

The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would hear a major climate lawsuit in which the oil industry contends it should not be sued in state courts for its role in global warming. The petitioners are Exxon Mobil and Suncor in a case brought by the city and county of Boulder, Colo., first filed in 2018.

The outcome could affect dozens of similar suits around the country. About three dozen related lawsuits have been filed by state, local and tribal governments seeking damages for costs tied to climate change; many also include consumer fraud claims. Some cases have been dismissed while others have advanced, but none has yet reached trial.

In Colorado the companies sought to move the case to federal court on the ground that greenhouse-gas emissions present a federal question; a federal judge denied that request in 2019 and the 10th Circuit affirmed. The industry’s effort to block the suits intensified during the Trump administration.

United States, Boulder, Colorado

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