A large suburban Philadelphia county has joined dozens of other local governments across the country in claiming that big oil producers are systematically deceiving the public about their role in accelerating global warming. He sued the oil industry.
Bucks County’s lawsuit against six oil companies alleges more frequent and intense storms (including last summer’s that killed seven people), flooding, salt water intrusion, extreme heat and “other devastating impacts” from fossil burning. The oil industry is responsible for “the effects of climate change.” fuel. The county is asking oil producers to pay to reduce the damage caused by climate change.
“These companies have known since at least the 1950s that the way they do business has a disastrous impact on the planet, but they have never changed what they were doing,” said Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo. , instead of sounding the alarm, they lied to us all.” said in a statement. “Taxpayers should not be made to pay for these companies and their greed.”
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Dozens of municipalities in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina and Puerto Rico, as well as eight states and Washington, D.C., have filed lawsuits against oil and gas companies in recent years. Their role in climate change, according to the Center for Climate Health.
Bucks County, which borders Philadelphia and has a population of about 650,000 people, is the first local government in Pennsylvania to file a lawsuit, according to climate groups. The group last year predicted the county’s 31 municipalities would spend $955 million by 2040 to address the effects of climate change.
The county argued in a lawsuit filed Monday in county court that residents and businesses “should not bear the costs of climate change alone.” The report cited several extreme weather events in Bucks County, including a severe storm in July that dumped 7 inches of rain in 45 minutes and caused deadly flash flooding.
FILE – Monday, July 17, 2023, a roadblock is seen as searchers search for two missing children who were swept away after a weekend rain at Washington Crossing in Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania. It will be done. Bucks County joins dozens of other surrounding municipalities. On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the country’s government sued the oil industry, claiming that major oil producers are systematically deceiving the public about their role in accelerating global warming. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
The lawsuit names BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute as defendants.
Chevron, through its attorney Theodore J. Boutras Jr., said, “Addressing climate change requires a coordinated international policy response, not worthless local litigation over legitimate and essential energy production.” said.
In response, API said the industry has taken steps to reduce emissions over the past two decades while providing “affordable and reliable energy to American consumers.” He said climate change policy is the responsibility of Congress, not local governments or courts.
“This ongoing, coordinated campaign to file meaningless, politicized lawsuits against America’s essential industries and their workers,” said Ryan Myers, the group’s senior vice president and general counsel, in a statement. “It’s a distraction from an important national discussion and a colossal waste of taxpayer money.” said in a statement.
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In 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit dismissed a lawsuit brought by New York City against five oil companies seeking global warming damages.
