Current:Home > ScamsOregon’s most populous county adds gas utility to $51B climate suit against fossil fuel companies-LoTradeCoin
Oregon’s most populous county adds gas utility to $51B climate suit against fossil fuel companies
View Date:2024-12-24 10:02:51
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, has added the state’s largest natural gas utility to its $51.5 billion climate lawsuit against fossil fuel companies over their role in the region’s deadly 2021 heat- dome event.
The lawsuit, filed last year, accuses the companies’ carbon emissions of being a cause of the heat-dome event, which shattered temperature records across the Pacific Northwest. About 800 people died in Oregon, Washington state and British Columbia in the heat wave, which hit in late June and early July 2021.
An amended complaint was filed this week, adding NW Natural to a lawsuit that already named oil giants such as ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell as defendants. It accuses NW Natural, which provides gas to about 2 million people across the Pacific Northwest, of being responsible for “a substantial portion” of greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon and deceiving the public about the harm of such emissions.
NW Natural said it can’t comment in detail until it has completed reviewing the claims.
“However, NW Natural believes that these new claims are an attempt to divert attention from legal and factual laws in the case. NW Natural will vigorously contest the County’s claims should they come to court,” it said in an emailed statement.
According to the Center for Climate Integrity, it is the first time a gas utility has been named in a lawsuit accusing fossil fuel companies of climate deception. There are currently over two dozen such lawsuits that have been filed by state, local and tribal governments across the U.S., according to the group.
The amended complaint also added the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, which describes itself as a research group on its website, to the lawsuit. The group has opposed the concept of human-caused global warming. A request for comment sent Friday to the email address on its website was returned to sender.
Multnomah County is seeking $51.5 billion in damages, largely for what it estimates to be the cost of responding to the effects of extreme heat, wildfire and drought.
“We’re already paying dearly in Multnomah County for our climate crisis — with our tax dollars, with our health and with our lives,” county chair Jessica Vega Pederson said in a statement. “Going forward we have to strengthen our safety net just to keep people safe.”
After the initial complaint was filed last year, ExxonMobil said the lawsuit didn’t address climate change, while a Chevron lawyer said the claims were baseless.
When contacted for comment Friday, Shell said it was working to reduce its emissions.
“Addressing climate change requires a collaborative, society-wide approach,” it said in an emailed statement. “We do not believe the courtroom is the right venue to address climate change, but that smart policy from government and action from all sectors is the appropriate way to reach solutions and drive progress.”
The case is pending in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
veryGood! (938)
Related
- 'SNL' stars jokingly declare support for Trump, Dana Carvey plays Elon Musk
- 'Be good': My dad and ET shared last words I'll never forget
- Couple arrested after leaving 2 kids in hot SUV while they shopped, police say
- American Airlines CEO says the removal of several Black passengers from a flight was ‘unacceptable’
- Why Cynthia Erivo Needed Prosthetic Ears for Wicked
- 580,000 glass coffee mugs recalled because they can break when filled with hot liquid
- US jobless claims fall to 238,000 from 10-month high, remain low by historical standards
- Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun will have memoir out in 2025
- Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn’s SKIMS Holiday Pajamas Are Selling Out Fast—Here’s What’s Still Available
- Howie Mandel's wife had a gruesome injury while tipsy. Alcohol injuries are a huge issue
Ranking
- SNL's Chloe Fineman Says Rude Elon Musk Made Her Burst Into Tears as Show Host
- Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy Shares He Recently “Beat” Cancer
- Sabrina Carpenter announces Short n' Sweet North American tour: How to get tickets
- Pregnant Ashley Tisdale Details Horrible Nighttime Symptoms
- Why was Jalen Ramsey traded? Dolphins CB facing former team on 'Monday Night Football'
- CDK cyberattack shuts down auto dealerships across the U.S. Here's what to know.
- TikTok unveils interactive Taylor Swift feature ahead of London Eras Tour shows
- 580,000 glass coffee mugs recalled because they can break when filled with hot liquid
Recommendation
-
Advocates Expect Maryland to Drive Climate Action When Trump Returns to Washington
-
NBA mock draft: Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr sit 1-2; two players make debuts
-
Supreme Court upholds Trump-era tax on foreign earnings, skirting disruptive ruling
-
Tale of a changing West
-
Nearly 80,000 pounds of Costco butter recalled for missing 'Contains Milk statement': FDA
-
Lululemon's New Crossbody Bag Is Pretty in Pink & the Latest We Made Too Much Drops Are Stylish AF
-
Second ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels sinks in the Red Sea
-
The Lakers are hiring JJ Redick as their new head coach, an AP source says