A South Carolina judge on Wednesday struck down the city of Charleston’s lawsuit seeking to hold fossil fuel companies liable for harms from the effects of rising global temperatures.
In his ruling, Circuit Judge Roger Young sided with Chevron, Exxon Mobil and other oil majors — finding that the city did not have grounds to pursue damages under South Carolina tort law and were preempted from pursuing claims under the Constitution and the Clean Air Act.
The decision is the latest blow to efforts by local, county and state governments to hold companies accountable for climate-warming pollution.
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Young noted that if city officials were to succeed in their argument it could open the door to a slew of new litigation.
