US Supreme Court rejects bid by oil companies to toss Honolulu's climate suit (updated)

Sunoco LP (Texas)

13/01/2025 16:43

(Repeats to fix technical problem. No changes to text)

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      Honolulu accuses oil firms of misleading public
    

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      Various US jurisdictions have sued oil firms
    

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      Honolulu seeks unspecified monetary damages
    

  
    By John Kruzel
       WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court
declined on Monday to hear a bid by Sunoco  SUN.N  and other oil
companies to scuttle a lawsuit by Honolulu accusing them of
misleading the public for decades about the dangers of climate
change induced by the burning of fossil fuels.
    The justices turned away an appeal by the oil companies of a
decision by Hawaii's top court allowing the suit, which alleged
violations of state law, to proceed. Other defendants in the
lawsuit include Exxon Mobil  XOM.N , BP  BP.L , Shell  SHEL.L ,
ConocoPhillips  COP.N , BHP Group  BHP.AX , Marathon Petroleum
 MCP.N  and Chevron  CVX.N .
    The suit was filed in 2020 by the city and county of
Honolulu and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, a
semi-autonomous city agency. The plaintiffs said misleading
statements made by the companies about the impact of their
fossil fuel products paved the way for property and
infrastructure damage caused by human-induced climate change.
    The plaintiffs have sought unspecified monetary damages.
Honolulu is located on Hawaii's Oahu island.
    The lawsuit said that heat waves linked to climate change
have stressed the city's electrical grid, and that a wastewater
treatment plant would need to be retrofitted against sea level
rise at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, among other
harms.
    Ben Sullivan, an official at the City and County of
Honolulu's Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and
Resiliency, hailed the Supreme Court's action.
    "This is a significant day for the people of Honolulu and
the rule of law. This landmark decision upholds our right to
enforce Hawaii laws in Hawaii courts, ensuring the protection of
Hawaii taxpayers and communities from the immense costs and
consequences of the climate crisis caused by the defendants'
misconduct," Sullivan said.
Honolulu is among various U.S. jurisdictions to have filed suits
seeking monetary damages from companies that extract, produce,
distribute or sell fossil fuels, arguing that their activities
contribute to emissions of carbon dioxide and other so-called
greenhouse gases linked to climate change.
    "Defendants have known for more than 50 years that
greenhouse gas pollution from their fossil fuel products would
have a significant adverse impact on the Earth's climate and sea
levels," the Honolulu lawsuit stated.
    Instead of warning the public about the known consequences
of using their products or working to minimize associated
damage, the companies "concealed the dangers, promoted false and
misleading information, sought to undermine public support for
greenhouse gas regulation, and engaged in massive campaigns to
promote the ever-increasing use of their products at
ever-greater volumes," the lawsuit added.
    Among other consequences of this conduct, the lawsuit said,
the average sea level will rise substantially along the Honolulu
Pacific coastline, causing flooding, erosion and beach loss, and
extreme weather affecting the region will become more frequent. 
    The companies urged a trial judge to dismiss the suit,
arguing that the claims made under state law were preempted, or
blocked, by federal law because those Hawaii statutes sought to
regulate interstate emissions or commerce, powers reserved for
the federal government.
    Hawaii Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Crabtree denied that
request. The Hawaii Supreme Court in October 2023 upheld the
judge's ruling, prompting the oil companies to appeal to the
justices.
The defendants had tried to move the case to federal court but
were rebuffed by the U.S. Supreme Court in April 2023.
     

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 (Reporting by John Kruzel; Editing by Will Dunham)
 ((mailto:John.Kruzel@thomsonreuters.com;))