Evan Bush
Thu, June 22, 2023
An Oregon county filed a lawsuit Thursday that blames fossil fuel companies and industry boosters for the deadly 2021 heat wave that killed hundreds of people in the Pacific Northwest.
The lawsuit from Multnomah County, which contains Portland and its suburbs, says the heat dome was not a natural event but "a direct and foreseeable consequence" of oil companies' actions to sell as many fossil fuel products as possible for decades and to "lie" about the harms of those products.
Sixty-nine people died because of the heat dome event, which sent temperatures soaring across the Pacific Northwest for several weeks, according to the suit filed in a circuit court. During the most intense three-day period of heat, temperatures in Multnomah County hit highs of 108, 112, and 116 degrees.
The lawsuit lists 17 defendants, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron and the Western States Petroleum Association.
This lawsuit is the 36th time a municipality has sued fossil fuel companies for alleged harms resulting from climate change, according to the Center for Climate Integrity, an advocacy group that supports such lawsuits. This claim is the first tied to the 2021 heat dome and one of the first to sue over a specific event worsened by climate change.
The June 2021 heat wave was “virtually impossible" if not for the impacts of climate change, according to climate experts. A peer-reviewed study found the event was at least 150 times less likely if global temperatures had not warmed so much because of human activity.
The heat wave had dramatic impacts across the Pacific Northwest, where many communities lack air conditioning because of the typically mild climate. Searing temperatures crumbled streets, caused baby birds to jump to their deaths and killed millions of sea creatures along the coastline. Emergency departments were overwhelmed with patients suffering heat-related ailments.
In addition to the fatalities in Oregon, hundreds of people died in Washington state and British Columbia, according to a study led by a University of Washington professor and Canadian officials, respectively.
Multnomah County is seeking $50 million in damages, $1.5 billion in future damages and a $50 billion abatement fund — to "weatherize" the county and plan for future harms as a result of global warming that results from fossil fuel use.
The lawsuit says the record heat wave required emergency care for hundreds of people, provoked an uptick in crime and required the county to spend "taxpayer money to provide people with shelter, cooling centers, fans, food, portable air conditioners, clothes, and water."
Since the event, the county has spent more money to warehouse supplies, increase shelter space and staff up for future heat waves, among other expenses.
"Still, the County lacks the resources to adequately prepare for comparable or more severe heat extremes," the lawsuit says.
A spokesperson for defendant Exxon Mobil said suits like the county’s “continue to waste time, resources and do nothing to address climate change.”
“This action has no impact on our intention to invest billions of dollars to leading the way in a thoughtful energy transition that takes the world to net zero carbon emissions,” the spokesperson said in the statement.
The Western States Petroleum Association, one of the primary oil industry trade associations in Oregon, which counts some of the lawsuit's defendants as members, did not immediately respond to a call or email for comment. Shell also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, counsel for Chevron Corporation said, in part, that lawsuits like these are “counterproductive distractions from advancing international policy solutions.”
Multnomah County's board of commissioners authorized the lawsuit in a weekly meeting. The county has secured outside lawyers for the case and won't pay legal fees unless it receives a judgment in its favor, according to meeting documents.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
US climate change lawsuit seeks $50 billion, citing 2021 heat wave
Thu, June 22, 2023 at 2:19 PM MDT·3 min read
(Reuters) -An Oregon county on Thursday sued Exxon, Chevron, other major oil and coal companies, and industry groups, seeking over $50 billion to counter the harms caused by extreme weather fueled by climate change.
Multnomah County said in the lawsuit filed in state court in Portland that fossil fuel companies and trade groups like the American Petroleum Institute intentionally deceived the public about the dangers of burning their products for decades. It said the companies and trade groups must now help pay for past and future harms from the extreme weather that has resulted, including a 2021 heat wave in the Pacific Northwest that killed dozens.
Rather than acknowledge the dangers of climate change, the lawsuit said the fossil fuel industry worked to undermine the scientific consensus around the problem "with pseudo-science, fabricated doubt, and a well-funded, sustained public relations campaign to promote their spin."
The lawsuit also targets the consulting firm McKinsey, which it said advises major oil companies, including on strategies to downplay or deny the link between greenhouse gas emissions and extreme weather.
Theodore Boutrous, an attorney for Chevron, said in a statement that lawsuits such as the one filed on Thursday are "counterproductive" and distract from advancing effective international policy solutions. He said the county's claims are "baseless" and barred by the U.S. Constitution.
A spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute called the lawsuit and others like it "meritless" and said the litigation wastes taxpayer resources.
McKinsey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The legal action follows dozens of lawsuits filed in recent years against the fossil fuel industry by states and municipalities across the U.S. broadly alleging harms from climate impacts including extreme weather.
The American Petroleum Institute and oil companies have said in response to those lawsuits that policies to address climate change should come from the federal executive branch and Congress, not via a patchwork of decisions in court cases across the United States.
The county said Thursday it had already begun experiencing climate-related harms, including from the 2021 “heat dome” that caused temperatures in the county, which includes Portland, to soar to 116 Fahrenheit (46.6 Celsius).
Since the area normally has mild weather, the lawsuit said residents were not equipped with things like air conditioners to handle the elevated temperatures. The county said 69 people in the county died from overheating and the heat wave caused a "crushing economic burden."
The heat wave, and other extreme weather events like wildfires, are a "direct and foreseeable consequence" of the industry's decision to sell fossil fuels for decades despite knowing their harms, according to the lawsuit.
The county is seeking $50 million to repay it for its past efforts to protect public health, safety and property from heat waves and wildfires, at least $1.5 billion for future damages and at least $50 billion for an abatement fund to help study and implement mitigation measures to reduce climate-related harms.
(Reporting by Clark Mindock in New YorkEditing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Matthew Lewis and Diane Craft)
Thu, June 22, 2023 at 2:19 PM MDT·3 min read
(Reuters) -An Oregon county on Thursday sued Exxon, Chevron, other major oil and coal companies, and industry groups, seeking over $50 billion to counter the harms caused by extreme weather fueled by climate change.
Multnomah County said in the lawsuit filed in state court in Portland that fossil fuel companies and trade groups like the American Petroleum Institute intentionally deceived the public about the dangers of burning their products for decades. It said the companies and trade groups must now help pay for past and future harms from the extreme weather that has resulted, including a 2021 heat wave in the Pacific Northwest that killed dozens.
Rather than acknowledge the dangers of climate change, the lawsuit said the fossil fuel industry worked to undermine the scientific consensus around the problem "with pseudo-science, fabricated doubt, and a well-funded, sustained public relations campaign to promote their spin."
The lawsuit also targets the consulting firm McKinsey, which it said advises major oil companies, including on strategies to downplay or deny the link between greenhouse gas emissions and extreme weather.
Theodore Boutrous, an attorney for Chevron, said in a statement that lawsuits such as the one filed on Thursday are "counterproductive" and distract from advancing effective international policy solutions. He said the county's claims are "baseless" and barred by the U.S. Constitution.
A spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute called the lawsuit and others like it "meritless" and said the litigation wastes taxpayer resources.
McKinsey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The legal action follows dozens of lawsuits filed in recent years against the fossil fuel industry by states and municipalities across the U.S. broadly alleging harms from climate impacts including extreme weather.
The American Petroleum Institute and oil companies have said in response to those lawsuits that policies to address climate change should come from the federal executive branch and Congress, not via a patchwork of decisions in court cases across the United States.
The county said Thursday it had already begun experiencing climate-related harms, including from the 2021 “heat dome” that caused temperatures in the county, which includes Portland, to soar to 116 Fahrenheit (46.6 Celsius).
Since the area normally has mild weather, the lawsuit said residents were not equipped with things like air conditioners to handle the elevated temperatures. The county said 69 people in the county died from overheating and the heat wave caused a "crushing economic burden."
The heat wave, and other extreme weather events like wildfires, are a "direct and foreseeable consequence" of the industry's decision to sell fossil fuels for decades despite knowing their harms, according to the lawsuit.
The county is seeking $50 million to repay it for its past efforts to protect public health, safety and property from heat waves and wildfires, at least $1.5 billion for future damages and at least $50 billion for an abatement fund to help study and implement mitigation measures to reduce climate-related harms.
(Reporting by Clark Mindock in New YorkEditing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Matthew Lewis and Diane Craft)
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