Supreme Court Weighs Boulder Climate Suit

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Oct. 5 on whether Boulder County’s climate lawsuit against energy companies can proceed in state court. Boulder County filed the suit in 2018 against Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy, seeking state-law damages for harms it says climate change has caused. The Colorado Supreme Court allowed the case to proceed, and the ruling could affect dozens of similar climate-damage suits by states and local governments. Boulder alleges deceptive marketing and fossil-fuel production contributed to heat, wildfires and ecosystem damage. Exxon and Suncor say federal law bars the claims and emissions cannot be traced to individual sources. Justice Samuel Alito has recused himself, leaving the possibility of a tie.