June 22, 2023
Oregon’s most populous county filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that seeks to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for decades of climate deception and pollution that fueled the deadly 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome and other extreme weather events.
Multnomah County’s lawsuit, filed in Oregon state court, charges some of the world’s biggest climate polluters — including ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips, Koch Industries, and Total — as well as industry trade groups and consultants such as the American Petroleum Institute, Western States Petroleum Association, and McKinsey & Company, with defrauding the public for decades about the harm caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
It is the first such lawsuit filed in response to the 2021 heat dome, which killed 69 county residents, placed enormous strain on municipal resources, and scientists say “was virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.”
Multnomah County charges the companies with violating state and common laws related to public nuisance, negligence, trespass, and fraud and deceit. The county is seeking more than $51.5 billion in damages to recover from and prepare for past and future climate damages.
“The climate crisis is costing us money today, and will cost us more money in the future as we try to adapt,” Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said. “We’re not looking for a payout, we’re looking to be paid back.”