Anti-oil and gas advocates across the country have pursued litigation in recent years, attempting to force the fossil fuel industry to pay for decades of financial damages the advocates claim were caused by climate change. [some emphasis, links added]
Several cases have been dismissed, while others advanced through court systems, with some being considered before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2026. Critics of the litigation call it “woke lawfare” and an attempt to force progressive political policies via the judicial system.
Critics also argue that the lawsuits threaten U.S. energy independence and, depending on outcomes, will have sweeping impacts on every American.
Here are some of those cases.
Chevron USA Inc. Vs. Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
On Jan. 12, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, vs. Chevron USA Inc.
The case questions the extent to which a state court can litigate against an oil company for its production of oil, even if it obtained federal permits to produce the oil.
The litigation challenges the activities of the oil companies dating back to World War II in some cases.
Chevron argued the lawsuit was flawed, claiming that the activities in question were permitted, legal, and often conducted under federal direction – particularly those tied to national security during World War II.
A Plaquemines Parish jury in April ordered Chevron to pay $744 million in damages for its role in the degradation of the state’s coastal wetlands.
Environmental activists celebrated the verdict. It was the first of 42 lawsuits filed since 2013 by parishes across coastal Louisiana to go to trial.
The Trump administration’s Justice Department stepped in on Chevron’s side, urging the Supreme Court to move the case from state court to federal court.
Business groups and energy advocates warned that the verdict would drive jobs and investment out of Louisiana.
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry called the decision “shortsighted,” saying it would “brand Louisiana as a state that will extort the most recognizable companies on earth for billions of dollars, decades later.”
O.H. Skinner, executive director of Alliance for Consumers, told the Center Square the case seeks to score large settlements from the energy industry and stop oil production.
“The case arises from a broader campaign of woke lawfare in which activists and municipal governments seek to use courtrooms to determine what companies are allowed to produce and what consumers can buy,” Skinner said.
Suncor Energy Inc. Vs. Boulder
The nation’s highest court is still deciding whether it will hear arguments in Suncor Energy Inc. v. Boulder, a case to decide whether state and local governments can use nuisance laws to sue energy companies for activities that may cause climate change.
The case, originating in Colorado, centers around a City of Boulder and Boulder County lawsuit in state court against Suncor Energy, claiming it misled the public in its activities that the local governments claim led to climate change effects.
Lawyers for Suncor Energy argue that allowing a case like this one to play out goes against protections in the Clean Air Act that prevent lawsuits from occurring against emitters from across state lines.
“Public nuisance can’t be used for global problems. It can be used for local problems,” Skinner told The Center Square. “That’s what it’s supposed to be used for.”
However, Skinner said many organizations that are pursuing climate change litigation are seeking to bankrupt energy companies with large monetary settlements. He said litigants will likely attempt to drain energy companies of their resources and use the funds to advocate certain ideological causes.
“These are highly ideological dark-money-funded, multi-faceted legal campaigns to bankrupt an entire industry and confiscate it for ideological reasons,” Skinner said.
City and County of Honolulu Vs. Sunoco
Similarly, in 2020, City and County of Honolulu v. Sunoco was one of the first examples of public nuisance lawsuits pursued in a state court.
The city and county of Honolulu filed a lawsuit in 2020, accusing oil and gas companies, including Sunoco, Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron, and Shell, of misleading the public for decades about the dangers of climate change [from] burning fossil fuels.
The companies asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the case, but the court, without ruling on the merits, declined to do so in January [2025].
While the case is based in Hawaii, Skinner said litigants there hope it will have far-reaching effects across the country.
“They’re not trying to stop behavior just in those states,” Skinner said. ”The thing that really freaks me out is how people in regular, everyday real America are going to potentially be affected.”
Read rest at The Center Square
Suncor operates the only refinery in the Denver area in Commerce City, a suburb just north of Denver. Without it we would lose a major source of oil refining. Right now our gas prices are amongst the lowest in the US with prices around $2.10/gallon. But Boulder is a far left-wing city that makes the deep blue state of Denver almost look normal.
Cut off all their Power and water from their homes make them live off the Grid and lets see how they can cope with it