GOP urges SCOTUS to reject ‘war on American energy’ they say would hit families’ wallets
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FIRST ON FOX: More than 70 lawmakers are lining up against a Colorado county’s effort to hold major oil companies financially liable for alleged climate change damages.
The group of House Republicans led by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is calling on the Supreme Court to side with ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy in a hotly contested climate change lawsuit that they argue amounts to a costly “war on American energy.”
The GOP lawmakers have characterized Boulder County’s lawsuit as a “dangerous overreach” that could leave major fossil fuel companies on the hook for billions of dollars in alleged damages. A positive ruling for the liberal county would encourage more lawsuits that could threaten the financial viability of the fossil fuel industry, they warn.
“Radical activists are trying to use the courts to accomplish what they couldn’t achieve through legislation — forcing their radical agenda on the American people and driving energy costs even higher,” Scalise said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “These lawsuits would hand local activist politicians the power to dictate national energy policy and threaten the energy producers that power our economy.”
Attorneys with the law firm Boyden Gray filed the amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief on behalf of the congressional Republicans.
The court is expected to hear oral arguments this fall in Suncor v. Boulder about whether federal law preempts localities from seeking relief for alleged climate damages in state courts. A ruling is expected in 2027.
The case reached the nation’s highest court after the Colorado Supreme Court allowed the yearslong case to proceed under state law, despite long-standing questions about whether localities can seek damages over cross-border and global greenhouse gas emissions. Boulder originally sued the major oil companies in 2018, arguing they knowingly contributed to global warming and misled the public about alleged climate harms.
The Republicans’ amicus brief argues that liability claims belong under federal jurisdiction, because allowing state courts to adjudicate global climate damages would result in a “cacophony of competing state commands” that undermine Congress’ role in setting national energy policy.
“The Court should reject this attempt by Respondents to establish their ‘own foreign policy’ from a Boulder courthouse,” the brief reads.
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The signers also warned that a ruling in favor of Boulder County could unleash devastating economic losses for U.S. energy producers.
“The sheer magnitude of the alleged damages would restructure the American energy industry if not bankrupt it altogether — and cause ripple effects worldwide, especially when multiplied by the dozens of similar cases across the country,” the brief continued.
The legal battle is also spilling into Colorado politics, where Republicans argue that climate-related lawsuits championed by Democrats threaten jobs and drive up energy costs.
Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., a freshman lawmaker representing a swing district near the city of Boulder, cast the lawsuit as part of Democrats’ efforts to make energy production unaffordable.
“These lawsuits and regulations aren’t just attacks on oil and gas companies — they’re attacks on Colorado jobs, American energy independence and every family already struggling with higher costs,” Evans, who signed the brief, told Fox News Digital. “I will continue fighting to protect Colorado energy workers and unleash the all-of-the-above energy strategy our nation needs.”
Republicans’ emphasis on affordability comes as the party grapples with voter frustration about higher-than-usual gas prices tied to the conflict with Iran.
Nearly 90% of voters called rising gas prices a “problem,” according to a Fox News Poll published in May.
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