Supreme Court Hears Boulder Climate Suit Seeking Up to $157 Million From ExxonMobil, Suncor
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 4
Supreme Court Hears Boulder Climate Suit Seeking Up to $157 Million From ExxonMobil, Suncor
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 4
Summary
Monday’s case will decide whether Boulder’s lawsuit against ExxonMobil and Suncor can proceed in Colorado state court, not whether the companies misled the public about climate change.
Boulder says the companies hid fossil fuels’ warming risks for decades while local governments now face mounting costs from wildfire, drought, health impacts and infrastructure damage.
Chinowsky’s report put Boulder city and county’s climate-mitigation bill at $96 million to $157 million through 2050; the 2021 Marshall Fire alone destroyed more than 1,000 homes and caused about $2 billion in damage.
ExxonMobil and Suncor argue greenhouse-gas emissions are a federal issue crossing state lines and warn letting the case proceed could unleash thousands of similar suits and billions in damages.
The appeal is the first Supreme Court test of roughly 60 climate-liability cases nationwide, with the Trump administration backing the oil companies and Justice Samuel Alito recused.
Will a tied ruling at the Supreme Court accidentally unleash a massive wave of climate lawsuits against Big Oil?
Can local communities successfully use the Big Tobacco legal playbook to make fossil fuel giants pay for devastating wildfires?
The $10 Trillion Climate Lawsuit: Supreme Court’s Suncor v. Boulder Case and the Fight Over Who Pays for Global Warming
Overview
Boulder County and the City of Boulder sued Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil, claiming the companies misled the public about climate risks while local damages from disasters like the 2021 Marshall Fire soared. After federal courts ruled such climate lawsuits belong in state courts, the Colorado Supreme Court allowed Boulder’s case to proceed. Suncor and ExxonMobil then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but Justice Alito’s recusal left only eight justices, raising the chance of a 4-4 tie. If that happens, Boulder’s lawsuit moves forward, but other climate cases nationwide remain unresolved, highlighting the high stakes for climate accountability.