Oregon county sues Big Oil companies for $51B over role in 2021 heat dome (NYSE:CVX)

Oregon’s Multnomah County is suing oil and fuel firms for his or her function within the 2021 warmth dome, claiming in a lawsuit filed Thursday that emissions from the businesses performed a major function in inflicting the intense warmth occasion throughout a number of days in late June and early July 2021.

The county, which incorporates the town of Portland, is in search of greater than $51B in damages to pay for prices related to future excessive warmth occasions in addition to to check, plan and “weatherproof” towards excessive warmth.

The businesses named within the lawsuit embody Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), Chevron (NYSE:CVX), Shell (SHEL), BP (BP) and ConocoPhillips (COP).

Chevron (CVX) stated in a press release that the lawsuit makes “novel, baseless claims,” is unconstitutional and unfairly targets “one trade and group of firms engaged in lawful exercise that gives great advantages to society.”

Temperatures throughout the 2021 warmth dome occasion soared to a record-shattering excessive of 116 levels Fahrenheit, inflicting in depth property harm and ensuing within the deaths of 69 folks.

Earlier this 12 months, the U.S. Supreme Court docket declined to listen to requests by Exxon (XOM), Chevron (CVX) and others to maneuver lawsuits filed by state and native governments accusing the oil firms of exacerbating local weather change out of state courts and into federal courts.