Boulder, Colorado, and Big Oil Prepare for High-Stakes Clash in Supreme Court
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Boulder, Colorado is preparing for a high-stakes Supreme Court clash against major fossil fuel companies over climate liability claims.
- Local and state governments across the US have filed climate-change lawsuits against major fossil fuel companies in state courts over the past nine years, seeking damages and accountability for alleged deception.
- The fossil fuel lawsuits are modeled on the 1990s tobacco industry cases, when states successfully held cigarette makers accountable for public health harms.
Why it matters: If the Supreme Court sides with Boulder and the other municipalities, fossil fuel companies could face sweeping financial liability for climate damages in state courts, mirroring the billions extracted from Big Tobacco. A ruling against the plaintiffs would likely shut down the entire state-court strategy that dozens of US cities and states have spent nearly a decade building.
Ask SkimNews
