The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a bid by ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy to scuttle a lawsuit brought by officials in Boulder, Colorado. The suit seeks to hold the oil companies liable for contributing to climate change and could impact dozens of similar cases nationwide.
The justices are reviewing a lower court's decision that allowed the litigation to proceed. The lawsuit alleges state law violations and seeks unspecified damages for costs Boulder has incurred in mitigating climate change impacts.
The Trump administration had supported the oil companies' appeal.
Boulder's 2018 lawsuit accused Exxon and Suncor of misleading the public about the role of their products in exacerbating climate change while profiting from fossil fuel sales. The companies deny any wrongdoing.
The plaintiffs contend the oil companies should cover past and future mitigation costs, including infrastructure repairs, environmental damage, and public health harms.
Oil companies have been attempting to avoid a growing volume of climate-related litigation, with limited success.
This case is one of nearly 60 lawsuits filed by state and local governments seeking billions of dollars in damages over alleged climate change impacts.
