In Maui Visit, Biden Should Support Climate Lawsuits Against Big Oil

Maui and Honolulu are Suing to Make Big Oil Companies Pay for Climate Damages, Including Increased Risk of Wildfires; Biden Has Voiced Support for Similar Cases As Members of Congress Call for DOJ Action

News release from Center for Climate Integrity, Aug 18, 2023

MAUI — President Biden’s upcoming visit to Maui — site of the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history — comes as Maui County, and neighboring Honolulu, are fighting to put major oil and gas companies on trial to hold them accountable for fueling destructive climate damages, including wildfires. 

(TRANSLATION: Money-grubbing shysters want Biden to make Lahaina all about their 'sue-big-oil' global warming lawsuit.)

President Biden has voiced support for climate lawsuits against oil companies, and this year his administration filed a brief in support of the communities that have brought them. Nearly two dozen members of Congress recently urged the Justice Department to either investigate or sue Big Oil companies for their climate deception.

(TRANSLATION: Money-grubbing shysters see that the Biden has already helped them once so they hope Biden's words will make Lahaina all about their 'sue-big-oil' global warming lawsuit.)

Maui and Honolulu separately sued Big Oil companies for climate damages in 2020, citing the industry’s decades-long efforts to mislead the public about climate change. President Biden’s visit to Maui comes as the communities are still fighting for their day in court: In oral arguments on Thursday, an attorney for Big Oil urged the Hawai`i Supreme Court to overturn state court rulings that allowed Honolulu’s case to proceed toward trial and discovery. 

(QUESTION: Money-grubbing shysters want Biden to speak so their garbage lawsuit can jump one more soon-to-be-forgotten legal hurdle.  How many people died for this?)

Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, released the following statement: 

“Hawai`i communities are on the front lines of the fight to hold Big Oil companies accountable for knowingly increasing the risks of deadly wildfires and other climate disasters. President Biden should unequivocally voice his support for the people of Maui and Honolulu in their efforts to put fossil fuel companies on trial for their climate deception and make polluters pay for the damage they have caused. 

“Simply connecting the deadly Maui fires and other recent disasters to climate change is not enough; it’s time for President Biden to make clear to the American people that the oil and gas industry must be held accountable for their lies and pollution that continue to fuel the climate crisis.” 

(BETTER IDEA: Hold the Greenies accountable for their lies that led HECO to spend $100Ms to facilitate intermittent wind and solar but only $250K on Lahaina fire prevention.) 

Background on Climate Accountability Lawsuits Against Big Oil: 

Since 2017, the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia, as well as municipal governments in California, Colorado, Hawai`i, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, and Puerto Rico have filed lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ role in climate change.

To date, six federal appeals courts and 15 federal district courts have unanimously ruled against the fossil fuel industry’s arguments to prevent these lawsuits from moving forward in state courts. In March, the U.S. Justice Department added its support for the communities. In April and May, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Big Oil petitions to consider the industry’s appeals of those lower court rulings. 

The Center for Climate Integrity works to help communities hold oil and gas corporations accountable for the massive costs of climate change. For more information, visit climateintegrity.org 

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MEANWHILE: Oil Giants Fight Climate Deception Suit at Hawaii Supreme Court

B: … Oil companies including Sunoco LP, Chevron Corp., and Exxon Mobil Corp. urged justices to dismiss a climate lawsuit they say falls outside of the scope of local law during oral arguments Thursday at the Hawaii Supreme Court.

The companies met lawyers for the city and county of Honolulu for a hearing in City and County of Honolulu vs. Sunoco, a climate deception case that could be the first of its kind to reach trial in state court….

read … Oil Giants Fight Climate Deception Suit at Hawaii Supreme Court

Thought Control: Why climate experts are criticizing a Hawaii headline from ABC News - Poynter  

NYT: Maui sued Big Oil in 2020, citing fire risks and more