Multnomah County, Oregon filed an amended complaint in its ongoing litigation against fossil fuels companies. The suit, originally filed last year, is the first of its kind to name a natural gas utility as a defendant. While it is common to see fossil fuels companies that extract and refine oil and natural gas named in climate lawsuits, utilities haven’t been targets for climate litigation. The Hill reported on the utility’s inclusion in the lawsuit:
“The county added the gas utility to the original lawsuit’s long list of defendants, which included major fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, as well as other corporations and industry trade groups. The plaintiffs accused the companies of promoting and selling fossil fuels ‘while knowing that carbon pollution emitted by their products into the atmosphere would likely cause deadly extreme heat events like that which devastated Multnomah County in late June and early July 2021.’”
The inclusion of the NW Natural in the lawsuit isn’t entirely surprising. Gas utilities market and promote the use of natural gas, which may be viewed by governments and municipalities as misleading the public about the threats posed by burning fossil fuels. This development is a reminder that the fossil fuels industry is comprised of a broad variety of companies. As climate lawsuits become more commonplace, we may see more companies on the fringe of the industry pulled in. If your company is a part of or adjacent to the fossil fuels industry, it may be wise to review past activities and assess the likelihood of litigation exposure.
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