A Pennsylvania judge has thrown out a climate lawsuit filed by Bucks County against fossil fuel companies that would force them to help pay to fix bridges, retrofit buildings, and implement safety measures to address worsening flooding, writes Sophia Schmidt for WHYY.
The county’s suit argued that oil companies, including Chevron, BP, Shell, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, and a petroleum industry trade group, knew their products contribute to global warming but intentionally concealed that knowledge.
The suit was dismissed last week by Court of Common Pleas Judge Stephen Corr, who said the county’s claims fall outside the scope of state law.
“Today we join a growing chorus of state and federal courts across the United States, singing from the same hymnal, in concluding that the claims raised by Bucks County are not judiciable by any state court in Pennsylvania,” wrote Corr in his order.
He referred to dismissals of similar cases by other state courts, filed by states and cities, including New Jersey and Baltimore. However, Michael Gerrard, faculty director of Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, said even more courts have allowed such cases to go forward.
“They’ve been going in both directions,” said Gerrard.
To understand what this ruling means for future climate accountability cases in Pennsylvania and beyond, read the full story at WHYY.
