Supreme Court denies oil industry plea to block climate lawsuits filed by California, other blue states

Los Angeles Times ^ | Jan. 13, 2025 7:27 AM PT | David G. Savage

[E. Pluribus Unum]

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court dealt a major setback to the oil industry on Monday, refusing to block lawsuits from California and other blue states that seek billions of dollars in damages for the impact of climate change.

Without a comment or dissent, the justices turned down closely watched appeals from Sunoco, Shell and other energy producers.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said he took no part in the decision, presumably because he owns stock in companies affected by the dispute.

In Sunoco vs. Honolulu, the energy producers urged the justices to intervene in these state cases and rule that because climate change is a global phenomenon, it is a matter for federal law, not one suited to state-by-state claims.

The decision means about two dozen states and municipalities may move forward to prove their claims that the major oil producers knew of the potential damage of burning fossil fuels but chose to conceal it. Two years ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit in San Francisco County Superior Court against five of the largest oil and gas companies — Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP — and the American Petroleum Institute for what they described as a “decades-long campaign of deception” that created climate-related harms in California.

“For more than 50 years, Big Oil has been lying to us — covering up the fact that they’ve long known how dangerous the fossil fuels they produce are for our planet,” Newsom said in announcing the suit.

California’s suit followed the pattern set by about two dozen similar claims from the cities of Baltimore, New York and San Francisco, and states led by Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

These suits argue that the oil producers used deceptive marketing to hide the danger of...

[Paladin2]

Thanks..

Another good thing to know about “The Rule of Law” [as interpreted by Political Hacks on occasion...].

[Myrddin]

The oil companies should stop supplying product to states that have sued for the duration of the suit (or indefinitely if they lose). Stupidity should hurt.

[Qwapisking]

what do these morons think, we should sue cromagnon man for introducing FIRE? this B.S. will continue until the majority of the “guilt tripped” humans tell these control freaks to STICK IT where the sun don’t shine...and then STICK it to them where the sun don’t shine. how was chicken little shut up for BS’ivng everyone?

[AndyJackson]

Like it would set a precedent that the SC intervene in the fair and efficient administration of justice in the lower courts and make the lower courts serve the interest of justice and not the interest of the politicians that appointed them.

[CFW]

BTW The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue decisions this Wednesday, Jan. 15, in pending cases, possibly including the TikTok appeal.

The court placed a terse announcement on its website indicating that “it may announce opinions” on Jan. 15, without providing specifics.

Does FR want me to do SCOTUS decision day threads as I did last term?

[Starboard]

A valid concern as their plan is to obstruct, delay, sue, and demonize. Starting the day Trump is sworn in.

[lonestar67]

States running these lawsuits need to be cut off from fossil fuels.

[bray]

Glad I don’t own an oil company or CA would get their wish tomorrow.

[Starboard]

“We are so screwed.”

**********

We are but the elites will be just fine and comfy. They will want for nothing.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

It is up to the oil companies to completely pull out of Hawaii, if this is what Hawaii wants SO BE IT!!!

[iamgalt]

Goop point, it was 7-1 so l wouldn’t panic.. yet.

[Deaf Smith]

“In Sunoco vs Honolulu”

How is going to fix Hawaii's pesky, pollution emitting volcano?

[con-surf-ative]

Agreed, but the days of an oil and gas producer drilling, producing, refining and retailing its products are long in the past. Oil production is sold to crude purchasers, who re-sell to refiners, who re-sell to refined products to fuel distributors, who re-sell to retail outlets. No producer has any control over where its production ends up.

Personally, I would do exactly as you suggest, but the reality is someone is going to make that dollar selling fuel in an anti-oil state.

[logi_cal869]

It’s a good thing for the greenies that Michael Mann presided in his case against National Review.

/s

(In fact, Mann LOST, i.e.,

“Mann’s lawsuit, which the court ultimately deemed meritless, dragged on for years, forcing National Review to expend considerable resources in its defense. During the discovery process, it was revealed that Mann’s intention was to use the lawsuit to “ruin National Review.””)

If the oil industry can establish - ahem - the left’s desire to ‘ruin’ the industry, I sense a stunning rebuke of this environmental lawfare by leftist states attempting to buoy their fraudulent religion.

[BipolarBob]

That’s what I would do.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

People won’t wake up to the Greeniacs insanity until their energy prices quadruple or quintuple.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

The “Supreme Court” made themselves irrelevant when they refused to hear states lawsuits with the 2020 election, saying the states had no standing.

[Amendment10]

Thank you for referencing that article E. Pluribus Unum.

"Supreme Court denies oil industry plea to block climate lawsuits filed by California, other blue states"

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FR: Never Accept the Premise of Your Opponent’s Argument

I hope that the misguided (imo) Supreme Court considers all of the failed global warming alarmist predictions from the time (1.11.18) of the following thread until now.

Big Oil throws California’s climate change hypocrisy back in its face (1.11.18)

---

• Climate ‘scientists’ discover they’ve been underestimating a major factor, and all their climate models are in fact wrong (12.10.24)

• NBC just repeats climate predictions by the UN, no matter how many previous dire projections have been 100% wrong (7.18.23)

• Nobel Prize winner denounces alarmist climate predictions: ‘I don’t believe there is a climate crisis’ (7.13.23)

• As Climate Experts Warn of Looming Catastrophe, Past Bad Predictions Hurt Their Message (3.25.23)

• No, the Antarctic's ice is not melting as fast as predicted : No matter how many predictions on climate change are 100% wrong, the talking points and destructive policies remain the same (1.18.23)

• A Brief History of Fantastically Wrong Climate Change Predictions (4.24.17)

• Worst-case' climate predictions are 'no longer plausible,' study' (2.15.22)

• 50 years of predictions that the climate apocalypse is nigh (11.15.21)

• Record Cold of 2021 Reminds Us: Be Wary of Climate Predictions and Energy Priorities (1.17.20)

• Egg on Their Faces: 10 Climate Alarmist Predictions for 2020 That Went Horribly Wrong(awwww) (12.28.20)

• Climate Predictions – Doubling Down on Stupid (1.2.20)

• Were the predictions we made about climate change 20 years ago accurate? Here's a look (12.24.19)

In fact, here are temperature drops that global warming alarmists failed to predict, some of these events in California.

• Snowiest June on Mount Washington — with half the month left (6.12.23)

• Australians shiver through the coldest May EVER as temperatures plunge across the country - here's when it will end (5.28.23)

• Record lows shattered in Montana, Wyoming (12.23.22)

• New York Times prediction BUST: 1995 article cited climate ‘experts’ warning ‘most of the beaches on the East Coast of the U.S. could be gone in 25 years’ (11.1.22)

• Cold Paraguay; Record Lows Logged At Bismark And Parkersburg; Delhi Shivers; + “One-In-50-Year” Frost Decimates NZ Blueberry Crop (10.13.22)

• Climate scientists told to hide the fact that there's been no warming in 15 years (8.4.22)

• Climate change at 18 degrees of north latitude (7.23.22)

• Record Low Temperature in New York City for June 19th

• With just 2 days left the average high temperature for Seattle in May is 59.7° (5.30.22)

• Inconvenient truth for globalists: Arctic ice at 30-year high Data contradict connection with rising levels of CO2 (5.25.22)

• Travel ‘difficult to impossible’ with snow totals up to 2 feet in parts of the Northern Plains (4.24.22)

• “Historic Blizzard” Pounds Northern Plains With Feet Of Snow (4.13.22)

• For First Time, Measurable Snowfall Hits Portland, Oregon, in April (4.22.22)

• It’s going to be so cold in Florida, iguanas will fall from trees. No, really (1.28.22)

• Record Snow Is Making Moose Cranky and Dangerous, Alaska Park Says. ‘Be Ready to Run’ (1.10.22)

• Winter system brings heavy snow, ice, severe weather to the East (1.16.22)

• 2021 was the sixth hottest year on record (Down) (1.14.22)

• How do you measure the cold on Mount Washington? 30º below zero, or cold enough to freeze spaghetti in mid-air (1.11.22)

• Global warming traps hundreds in the snow (1.5.22)

• California’s ‘White Christmas’ Breaks December Snowfall Record in Sierra, Easing Drought (12.28.21)

• Arctic Sea Ice for Jan 1 highest in 18 years (1.3.22)

• Antarctica's last 6 months were the coldest on record (10.9.21)

• So Far Germany Seeing Coldest April In 104 Years, Second Coldest Since 1881, Snowiest Since 1986 (4.20.21)

• Icy weather chills Texas wind energy as deep freeze grips much of U.S. [Windmills freeze] (2.15.21)

• UK cold weather: River Thames freezes over for first time in 60 years – PICTURED (2.13.21)

• Rare snowfall in Malibu [CA] results in flurry of excitement (1.24.21)

• Ice covers the Sahara Desert for just 4th time in 50 years (1.22.21)

• Massive Snowfall Blankets Spain – Heaviest Snowfall in the Region in 50 Years (1.12.21)

• Egg on Their Faces: 10 Climate Alarmist Predictions for 2020 That Went Horribly Wrong(awwww) (12.29.20)

• (4.24.17)

• Record freeze on Lake Ontario as 4,700 square miles of ice forms on Great Lakes IN ONE NIGHT (2.19.15)

• Wrong Again: 50 Years of Failed Eco-pocalyptic Predictions (9.18.19)

• 10 times 'experts' predicted the world would end by now (3.19.19)

[mewzilla]

A Deep State controlled SCOTUS.

Wonder if that will change on Inauguration Day...

[Rio]

These suits argue that the oil producers used deceptive marketing to hide the danger of burning fossil fuels.

Chevron started it.