US Supreme Court to hear bid by oil companies to toss climate suits

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a bid by ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy to scuttle a lawsuit brought by officials in Boulder, Colorado that seeks to hold the oil companies liable for helping fuel climate change in a case that could affect dozens of similar lawsuits around the country.



The justices on Monday took up an appeal by the companies of a lower court's ruling that ‌let the litigation move forward. The suit alleging state law violations by the companies seeks unspecified monetary damages for costs incurred by Boulder associated with mitigating the impact of climate change.



President Donald Trump's administration backed the appeal by the oil companies.



The Boulder litigation is the latest chapter in efforts by numerous U.S. jurisdictions seeking damages from companies that extract, produce, distribute or sell fossil fuels. These plaintiffs are seeking compensation for harms they attribute to the role these companies played in causing climate change.