New York City sues Exxon, BP, Shell in state court over climate change

By LE Desk

New York, April 22: New York City on Thursday sued three major oil companies and the top industry trade group in state court, arguing that the companies are misrepresenting themselves by selling fuels as “cleaner” and advertising themselves as leaders in fighting climate change, Reuters reported.

The lawsuit comes after a federal appeals court this month rejected the city’s effort to hold five major oil companies liable to help pay the costs of harm caused by global warming.

The lawsuit said Exxon Mobil Corp, BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell and industry group the American Petroleum Institute “have systematically and intentionally misled consumers” through fuel sales at branded stations as “cleaner” and “emissions-reducing” while not disclosing climate impacts.

Earlier this month, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled in a separate lawsuit in favour of BP, Chevron Corp, ConocoPhillips, Exxon and Shell, and rejected the city’s efforts to sue under state nuisance law for damages caused by the companies’ “admittedly legal” production and sale of fossil fuels, and said the city’s federal common law claims were displaced by the federal Clean Air Act, Reuters said.

That lawsuit, filed in 2018, was an early effort among U.S. states and cities to turn to courts and use state law to address climate change.

https://www.reuters.com/article/climate-new-york-oil/new-york-city-sues-exxon-bp-shell-in-state-court-over-climate-change-idUSL1N2MF1WS