A large suburban county in Pennsylvania has taken a stand against some of the world’s largest oil companies, joining a burgeoning movement of local governments holding the oil industry accountable for its role in climate change. Bucks County has launched a lawsuit claiming these corporations systematically deceived the public about the risks their products pose to the environment, resulting in real and devastating consequences for the local community.
In what has become a growing trend among municipal governments across the United States, Bucks County’s legal action targets major oil producers such as BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Philips 66, and Shell, along with the American Petroleum Institute, a prominent industry group. “These companies have known since at least the 1950s that their ways of doing business were having calamitous effects on our planet, and rather than change what they were doing or raise the alarm, they lied to all of us,” Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo said in a statement. “The taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for these companies and their greed.”
“In Bucks County we understand it is our responsibility to be good stewards of the environment, and with the public’s support, this administration has established the County as a regional leader on environmental issues,” said Commissioner Vice Chair Bob Harvie in a statement. “It is unconscionable that while we were working hard to reduce our impact on the climate crisis, some of the biggest companies in the world were deliberately undercutting those efforts through their deceptive business practices.”
The County’s decision to take legal action comes on the heels of several extreme weather events, including a deadly storm last summer that claimed the lives of seven people. The storm delivered approximately seven inches of rainfall in 45 minutes, underscoring the lawsuit’s assertion that such severe weather is a direct result of climate change exacerbated by the fossil fuel industry.
These events have significant financial implications for Bucks County, which anticipates spending around $955 million through 2040 to address the impacts of climate change. The county’s lawsuit seeks financial damages to aid in mitigating these costs, which includes infrastructure improvements like bolstering bridges and initiating stormwater management projects.
Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo stated emphatically, “The taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for these companies and their greed.” This sentiment is echoed by dozens of municipal governments and eight states plus Washington, D.C., who have also filed suits against the oil and gas industry, as reported by the Center for Climate Integrity.
Defendants in the lawsuit have responded to the allegations, with Chevron’s attorney, Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., arguing that “addressing climate change requires a coordinated international policy response, not meritless local litigation over lawful and essential energy production.”
Nonetheless, the Center for Climate Integrity backs the county’s efforts, with Richard Wiles, the organization’s president, remarking, “By taking Big Oil companies to court for their climate lies, Bucks County joins a growing wave of communities that are demanding accountability and taking action to make polluters pay for a crisis these companies knowingly fueled and lied about for decades.”
Relevant articles:
– Pennsylvania county joins other local governments in suing oil industry over climate change
– Bucks County sues Big Oil companies for severe weather blamed on climate change, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Mon, 25 Mar 2024 23:20:47 GMT
– Bucks County joins other local governments in suing oil industry over climate change, The Keystone, Wed, 27 Mar 2024 18:58:56 GMT
– Bucks County files climate lawsuit against fossil fuel industry, WHYY, Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:31:40 GMT