The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the City of Honolulu’s lawsuit against the oil company to proceed.
judges I refused Without explanation, several energy companies will hear a challenge to a Hawaii Supreme Court decision that rejected their efforts to dismiss the lawsuits.
The City and County of Honolulu, later joined by the Honolulu Water Commission, sued the companies in 2020, alleging that fossil fuel products contribute to climate change and negatively impact the region.
“This case asks the court to address a critical question that arises in all climate change litigation: whether federal law precludes state law claims seeking relief for injuries allegedly caused by interstate impacts. “This presents the only foreseeable opportunity in the near future to determine the impact of international greenhouse gas emissions on the global climate,” the companies argued in the document. petition It was submitted last year.
BURBANK, CA – FEBRUARY 1: An Exxon gas station in Burbank, California, advertises gasoline prices on February 1, 2008. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Phil Goldberg, special advisor to the Manufacturer Responsibility Project (MAP), said energy sales were “not a liability event; if they were a liability event, energy would be much more expensive for all of us. ” he said. (Related: Democratic Party AG plans to sue oil companies with help from law firm backed by left-wing giants)
“The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear this case at this time is unfortunate because state law (in this case, Hawaii law) cannot govern, let alone impose liability on, manufacturing, distribution, and promotion. “Despite the general agreement, it would prolong litigation,” Goldberg said in a statement. “We are confident that as Hawaii courts consider these claims, they will join the many courts that have already recognized that this climate change lawsuit has no legal or factual basis.”
Adam White, executive director of the Center for Administrative State Studies at the Antonin Scalia School of Law, said such incidents “will continue to increase as more and more state officials seek to become czars of national energy policy.” Deaf,” he said.
“I hope that the courts will one day consider this matter in the interest of constitutional accountability and the public interest,” White said in a statement.
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