(NewsNation) — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says a major Supreme Court case over climate change lawsuits comes down to who gets to set energy policy for the entire country.
Bird spoke on “Katie Pavlich Tonight” Monday, the same day the justices heard arguments in Suncor Energy v. Commissioners of Boulder County, the first case of the court’s new term.
Supreme Court weighs local governments’ climate change lawsuits against oil and gas companies
The city and county of Boulder, Colorado, sued oil companies Suncor and Exxon in 2018, alleging their business has contributed to climate change and left local taxpayers facing the costs of wildfires, extreme heat and other damage. The companies say a claim built on worldwide emissions is really about national and international energy policy, and that Congress, not state courts, should decide it. The Colorado Supreme Court sided with Boulder, and the companies appealed.
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Bird, whose state has backed the oil companies, said the stakes go well beyond Colorado. “We need to protect American energy, and we need to make sure it’s affordable for Americans, too, at the pump or to power their homes,” she said.
Bird said, “a win here for American energy would be fantastic,” adding she believes a ruling for the companies would stop similar lawsuits elsewhere and help lower gas and energy prices. “I thought the arguments went well,” she said. “The law is certainly on our side, but we’ll just have to see what the Supreme Court ultimately does.”
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Boulder’s case is one of nearly 30 similar lawsuits, so the outcome would set a major precedent. Justice Samuel Alito recused himself days ago, which raises the chance of a 4-4 split. If that happens, the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision would stand and Boulder’s case would move forward, according to CBS. A ruling is expected by summer 2027.
What does Bird say about pollution from China and Russia?
Asked about pollution from other countries like China and Russia, Bird said foreign pollution is a real problem, but she said Boulder’s lawsuit has nothing to do with it. “It’s completely ineffective,” she said.
Bird said she expects the case to come down to the Constitution. “It’s a very basic principle of our American Constitution that no one state gets to tell every other state what to do,” she said. “And certainly, no one liberal county in Colorado gets to set energy policy for the rest of the United States.”…