ExxonKnews
August 17, 2022
This week, the Center for Climate Integrity is releasing a new report about those efforts, “Pushing Preemption: The Corporate Campaign to Deny Municipalities Access to the Courts.”
The report documents the corporate-backed assault on municipal access to the courts and shines a light on the web of shady actors behind it.
The story of municipal litigation spans decades, as communities have long turned to the courts to hold powerful corporations accountable for lying about the dangers their products cause. This list includes the manufacturers of tobacco, opioids, lead, asbestos, toxic chemicals, and, most recently, major fossil fuel companies responsible for the climate crisis. In many cases, such litigation serves as the only way for municipalities to recover the costs of addressing damages to their environment, public health, and local economies.
