UPDATE (4/30/24): Today, Joint staff from the Senate Budget Committee and the House Oversight Committee released their long-awaited report concluding a “nearly three year-long” investigation into oil companies. Spoiler alert: as E&E News put it the first time around, the investigation continues to show that “oil and gas companies, for the most part, want to
Read More...After years of environmental activists circling Pennsylvania officials in hopes they’d be the “cherry on top” of their lawfare campaign, Bucks County took the bait and filed a suit on Monday against essential energy producers. But many questions remain, including why the suit was debated quietly with little evident public input and to what extent
Read More...American energy companies asked the U.S. Supreme Court last week to overturn a ruling that allowed Honolulu’s climate lawsuit against the industry to move forward. This is the first time the Supreme Court has had the opportunity to tackle the merits of the cases head-on, marking a milestone in the litigation campaign. Energy companies have
Read More...Explosive new documents have exposed details of the Rockefellers’ coordinated effort to convince the New York Attorney General’s office (NYAG) to launch an investigation into ExxonMobil in 2015. As Fox News reports: “Left-wing nonprofits quietly coordinated a first-of-its-kind investigation into Big Oil led by the New York State Attorney General (NYAG) years ago, sparking dozens of current climate lawsuits, according to
Read More...Weeks after a federal judge in California ruled a climate lawsuit brought by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations belongs in federal court, the group has voluntarily dismissed its case. It appears that the plaintiff and its law firm Sher Edling would rather dismiss the case than risk an unfavorable defeat in federal court. The move represents
Read More...The wealthy national climate litigation campaign has its sights set on Pennsylvania, yet recent action shows this isn’t the only oil and gas producing state activists are targeting. New moves prove that the Buckeye State is also a target for the litigation-hungry – all while the industry helps to boost Ohio’s economy, provide good-paying jobs for thousands of
Read More...Two high-ranking lawmakers have announced a probe into plaintiffs’ law firm Sher Edling regarding who funds and supports the firm’s “barrage of lawsuits aimed at bankrupting oil and gas companies.” A letter from Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX) and House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) to the San-Francisco based firm reads:
Read More...For many reasons, 2020 has been a unique year. For the climate litigation campaign, EID Climate has covered major legal developments, delved into the funding sources behind these lawsuits and investigated the broader campaign pushing this baseless – and thus far unsuccessful – campaign against energy companies. Although presented as a way to give power back to local governments and the people,
Read More...In the nearly three years since the City and County of Boulder and the County of San Miguel filed its climate lawsuit, the case has mostly been defined by arguments over whether it belongs in federal or state court. In fact, the most notable action around the lawsuit has been that Boulder County hired outside counsel who are operating
Read More...The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued two rulings in favor of California municipalities that are suing energy companies for alleged costs of combating climate change, allowing one case to proceed in state court while reversing the dismissal of another. While this is being cast as a procedural victory for the cities, the panel clearly
Read More...Last year wasn’t great for lawyers or environmentalists in the courts. Even though cities, counties, and one fishermen’s association filed lawsuits against major energy companies, none of the cases have gotten very far in the court system and many were thrown out entirely. That doesn’t mean activists are taking the hint, though. In fact, at
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