Report Sees Climate Lawsuits Adding $1,465 to Annual U.S. Energy Bills

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 26

$1,465 a year is the average added energy cost U.S. households could face if climate lawsuits and state “superfund” laws fully succeed, according to a new Heritage Foundation and Power The Future report.
The analysis says oil and gas companies would absorb $194 billion in extra annual costs, then pass them through to consumers via roughly 41 cents more per gallon of gasoline and an 8.6% rise in residential electricity rates.
More than 300 pending lawsuits, three enacted state superfund laws, 12 state proposals and one federal bill were included in the estimate, which the authors describe as a full-success scenario rather than a forecast.
The report lands before the Supreme Court hears Suncor Energy v. Boulder County next month, a case that could shape whether state and local governments can keep pursuing climate claims against fossil fuel companies in state court.