The Trump administration and big business scored some notable Supreme Court wins on environmental and energy issues this term.
But the next major test for the federal government and the oil industry on one of the defining environmental issues of our time — climate change — won’t come until next year.
“We enjoyed a bit of a respite,” said Pat Parenteau, emeritus professor at the Vermont Law and Graduate School, of the high court’s environment and energy rulings this term. “It’ll be a blockbuster next term on climate.”
As soon as next fall, the justices are expected to hear oral arguments in a case that pits local officials in Boulder, Colorado, against some of the world’s leading oil producers. Boulder has claimed that Suncor and other fossil fuel companies should help foot the bill for response to drought, wildfires and other disasters worsened by rising global temperatures.
