The Obama administration urged the Supreme Court on Wednesday to leave pending climate lawsuits to states, instead of federal courts where the

Key Highlights :

1. The Biden administration is urging the Supreme Court to deny Big Oil's petition to hear a high-profile case, arguing that climate lawsuits should stay in state courts.

2. The Department of Justice's solicitor general released a legal brief last week that pertains to a lawsuit filed by the city and county of Boulder, along with San Miguel County, seeking millions of dollars from oil companies to update their infrastructure to deal with the impacts of climate change.

3. Judges across the political spectrum have consistently ruled against fossil fuel companies' argument that these cases should be heard in federal courts.

4. If the Supreme Court declines to hear the Colorado case, it could unleash these lawsuits, allowing them to finally proceed to trial.

5. Juries could be presented with a decades-long trail of evidence that details how fossil fuel companies deceived the public about climate change.

6. "The Boulder community is already feeling the effects of the climate crisis," said Aaron Brockett, the mayor of Boulder, in a statement. "Fires, floods, and extreme weather not only pose threats to our community, but they are also very costly to taxpayers. The companies responsible for these costs must pay."

The DOJ's solicitor general released a legal brief last week that pertains to a lawsuit filed by the city and county of Boulder, along with San Miguel County, seeking millions of dollars from oil companies to update their infrastructure to deal with the impacts of climate change. The governments argue that Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil violated the state's consumer protection laws by producing and selling fossil fuels in Colorado despite knowing that using their products would lead to more dangerous heat waves, wildfires, and floods. If the Supreme Court declines to hear the Colorado case, it could unleash these lawsuits, allowing them to finally proceed to trial. Kate Yoder is a contributing writer for Grist.org.

Continue Reading at Source : salon