State Climate Liability Litigation
Current understanding
State and municipal governments have brought tort, nuisance, and consumer-protection lawsuits against oil, gas, and coal producers seeking damages for climate-related harms. Federal legislative proposals periodically seek to preempt, restrict, or channel these suits into federal forums, arguing they intrude on federal energy and foreign policy; supporters of the suits argue states retain traditional tort authority over in-state harms. Status is contested and evolving through both state courts and Congress.