Facing Fires and Floods, Colorado Communities Launch Landmark Suit Against Fossil Fuel Companies

Taking a cue from coastal communities that are aiming to hold the fossil fuel industry legally accountable for significantly contributing to the climate crisis, three Colorado municipalities are suing ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy “for the substantial role they played and continue to play in causing, contributing to, and exacerbating climate change.”

“These oil companies need to pay their fair share.”
—Boulder Mayor Suzanne Jones

San Miguel County, Boulder County, and the city of Boulder—which filed the lawsuit (pdf) in Colorado state court on Wednesday—are believed to be the first inland communities to seek compensation from oil and gas companies for climate-related damage to the health, safety, welfare, and property of their residents.

“Climate change is not just about sea level rise,” noted Boulder County Commissioner Elise Jones. “It affects all of us in the middle of the country as well.”

A large number of residents in these rural communities depend on tourism, farming, and ranching to get by—activities that are increasingly affected by intensifying heat waves, wildfires, droughts, and floods. Scientists—including those within the fossil fuel industry—have for years warned about extreme weather consequences of global warming, which is driven largely by greenhouse gas emissions from dirty energy.

“For over 50 years, Suncor and Exxon have known that fossil fuels would cause severe climate impacts. To enhance their own profits, they concealed this knowledge and spread doubt about science they knew to be correct,” said Marco Simons, general counsel for EarthRights International, which is representing the Colorado communities alongside the Niskanen Center.

These oil companies need to pay their fair share,” declared Boulder Mayor Suzanne Jones.