Posted on 01/13/2025 12:14:13 PM PST by 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...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I think these cases will have to progress through state courts before the USSC will rule on them. This is just a thinly veiled attempt for California and other states to rip off people everywhere to put dollars in their corrupt coffers. Because oil production and marketing is global, the major oil companies will never skip a beat, they will just raise the price to pay for it, if these suits succeed. One of the companies I used to contract for was Shell, and judgements against them are just treated as overhead and prices are raised to compensate. I’d like to see them just stop transporting products to California. The problem with Newsom would rectify pretty quickly...
States don’t have standing to challenge the internal voting procedures in other states. That doesn’t seem to be a huge stretch to me.
No - like the Supreme Court would be swamped with a ridiculous number of cases far beyond anything it could possibly handle, and with undeveloped factual records that the Court cannot develop.
The EPA needs to prevent the NFS and BLM from running their annual heavy CO2 releases along with the way more annoying smoke particles.
Yep, the SubPrimes need to cut out all Lawfare.
Especially where the NGOs sue the Feds to get their outrageous funding, year after year.
If Elon and Vivek are at all valuable, they would be on this like Silicon Valley on H1Bs.....
I’m a YES!
Traitor Roberts and his handmaiden, Amy Conehead, are still Never Trumpers.
Actually, if the SC took seriously its responsibility to ensure fair and efficient adminstration of justice in the lower courts, its caseload could drop.
DC:
“Something for Nothing and Chicks for Free”....
“But, but, but what about earthquakes? Isn’t there some company we can sue? /s”
Yeah. Fracking companies.
Get ready for $9 a gallon gas,$400 a month electric bills and $400 a month heating bills.
That is correct, but Trump has had four years of experience, and four more to ponder it. Another thing, the dem coalition won't be as strong as Nancy's was.
The game goes back to Obama: do what you want and when they take you to court, you have the justice department to delay and appeal and slow it down to a crawl. Meanwhile, you do as you please.
Shouldn’t this put climate change pseudo science under the microscope?
The alternative they put forward solar/wind they knew was a lie from the beginning and a personal cash cow for climate change
The alternative they put forward solar/wind they knew was a lie from the beginning and a personal cash cow for climate change
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