Bucks County is taking a stand against climate change, by becoming the first government in Pennsylvania to file a lawsuit against major oil companies, writes Michael Rubinkam for The Washington Post.  

The 172-page lawsuit claims that the companies, ExxonMobil, Shell, Cheverly, BP, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, and the American Petroleum Institute, are responsible for extreme weather conditions and disastrous effects on the county. 

The lawsuit, represented by DiCello Levitt, cites recent flooding last July in Upper Makefield Township that resulted in the tragic deaths of seven people.

Bucks County Commissioner Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia said the lawsuit could recoup costs and fund the replacement of bridges, rehabilitation of county-owned buildings, and stormwater management projects, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

All thirty-one municipalities in the county will spend $955 million through 2040 to address the impact of climate change, writes Rubinkam.

Bucks County joins dozens of other municipal governments across the country, including in Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, California, along with eight other states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. in suing the oil giants.

Read more about the Bucks County lawsuit against the oil companies in The Washington Post.