GOP urges SCOTUS to reject 'war on American energy' they say would hit families' wallets
FIRST ON FOX: More than 70 lawmakers are lining up against a Colorado county's effort to hold major oil companies financially liable for alleged climate change damages. The group of...
By Fox News · Fox News
FIRST ON FOX: More than 70 lawmakers are lining up against a Colorado county's effort to hold major oil companies financially liable for alleged climate change damages. The group of House Republicans led by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is calling on the Supreme Court to side with ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy in a hotly contested climate change lawsuit that they argue amounts to a costly "war on American energy." The GOP lawmakers have characterized Boulder County’s lawsuit as a "dangerous overreach" that could leave major fossil fuel companies on the hook for billions of dollars in alleged damages. A positive ruling for the liberal county would encourage more lawsuits that could threaten the financial viability of the fossil fuel industry, they warn. "Radical activists are trying to use the courts to accomplish what they couldn't achieve through legislation — forcing their radical agenda on the American people and driving energy costs even higher," Scalise said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. "These lawsuits would hand local activist politicians the power to dictate national energy policy and threaten the energy producers that power our economy." EXPERTS WARN OF BIGGEST ‘SCANDAL IN LITIGATION SYSTEM’ IF SCOTUS DOESN’T NIX LANDMARK ENERGY POLLUTION CASE Attorneys with the law firm Boyden Gray filed the amicus, or "friend of the court," brief on behalf of the congressional Republicans. The court is expected to hear oral arguments this fall in Suncor v. Boulder about whether federal law preempts localities from seeking relief for alleged climate damages in state courts. A ruling is expected in 2027. The case reached the nation’s highest court after the Colorado Supreme Court allowed the yearslong case to proceed under state law, despite long-standing questions about whether localities can seek damages over cross-border and global greenhouse gas emissions. Boulder originally sued the major oil companies in 2018, arguing they knowingly contri…