California sues oil giants for ‘lies and myths’ on climate, seeks compensation for storm damage
- The state’s civil lawsuit seeks finance from ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP to pay for recovery efforts following devastating storms and fires
- The companies say climate policy should be debated in Congress not court, and that they ‘fully support the need for society to transition to a lower-carbon future’
The state of California filed a lawsuit against some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, claiming they deceived the public about the risks of fossil fuels now faulted for climate change-related storms and wildfires that caused billions of dollars in damage, officials said.
The civil lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in San Francisco also seeks creation of a fund – financed by the companies – to pay for recovery efforts following devastating storms and fires.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement the companies named in the lawsuit – ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP – should be held accountable.
“For more than 50 years, Big Oil has been lying to us – covering up the fact that they’ve long known how dangerous the fossil fuels they produce are for our planet,” Newsom said.
“California taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for billions of dollars in damages – wildfires wiping out entire communities, toxic smoke clogging our air, deadly heatwaves, record-breaking droughts parching our wells.”
The American Petroleum Institute, an industry group also named in the lawsuit, said climate policy should be debated in Congress, not the courtroom.
