DOYLESTOWN, P.A. (KYW Newsradio) — A judge has thrown out a lawsuit from Bucks County that was seeking damages from “Big Oil,” accusing major energy producers of knowing the damage their products were causing to the environment.
The suit filed last year in Bucks County Court argued fossil fuels are the root cause of more frequent severe and damaging storms.
County officials were seeking to recoup costs for storm repairs and remediation from Big Oil companies.
Lawyers for companies including BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and the American Petroleum Institute argued the suit should be dismissed, calling it “part of a decades long series of ill-conceived climate change-related actions.”
Bucks County Judge Stephen Corr agreed, and said the suit went beyond the bounds of Bucks County and Pennsylvania, and steps on federal powers, like the Clean Air Act, to set energy policy.
Industry advocates welcomed the ruling, calling the suit “a politically motivated attempt to legislate through litigation.”
County officials said they plan to appeal to Commonwealth Court, noting a handful of other courts across the country have ruled against the companies.