Climate change activists are setting the stage for lawsuits against oil and gas companies in a pair of states with deep ties to the fossil fuel industry. The Center for Climate Integrity, which seeks to make oil majors pay for the effects of global warming, is eyeing Pennsylvania and Ohio as potential new fronts. Landing litigation in either state would be a major coup. Though an increasing number of local and state governments are seeking to hold the industry accountable, most lawsuits have been filed in states without a significant fossil fuel footprint. A Rust Belt state lawsuit would carry bragging rights, “like a cherry on top,” said Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity. The existing array of lawsuits are also mostly in blue states, such as Massachusetts and California. Pennsylvania and Ohio would mark the first swing-state litigation. What’s at stake
The climate lawsuits have major hurdles to clear, but if successful, they could force the oil industry — like tobacco and opioid manufacturers before it — to pay hundreds of billions of dollars for putting the public at risk. To say the industry is watching with alarm is an understatement. The center’s every move is being detailed — and dissected — on the website for Energy In Depth, a research and outreach campaign run by the Independent Petroleum Association of America. “Maybe it will come to pass, maybe it won’t, but certainly vigilance is our watchword,” said David Taylor, the president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association, which says a lawsuit would threaten the state’s energy producers and its business sector. Climate costs
The center has produced reports that estimate that Pennsylvania will need to spend nearly $1 billion a year to protect residents from extreme heat, rising seas, and heavy rain and snow. In Ohio, it says that cost is as much as $5.9 billion per year by midcentury. Wiles argues that it’s unfair for taxpayers to pick up the entire tab and that companies that knew their products would cause climate change should chip in. Several elected officials in Pennsylvania echoed that argument. “I agree that it’s not fair for this burden of addressing climate change to fall only on our residents,” said Monica Taylor, who chairs the Delaware County Council outside Philadelphia. “Polluters should and must pay.” The center has also conducted statewide polling that it says shows support among voters in both states for climate lawsuits. But the idea of a lawsuit hasn’t gained traction in Ohio, where Republicans control the governor’s office and the state Legislature.
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