Middlesex County joins the State of New Jersey and the City of Hoboken on Sept. 30 by filing its own lawsuit against major oil companies, including BP Plc and BP America Inc., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Exxon Oil Corp., Shell Plc and Shell USA Inc., and others, seeking damages for climate-related impacts that the county alleges have resulted from their conduct.
The county claims that, with rising temperatures, intense precipitation events, destructive floods and coastal storms, and frequent episodes of drought, Middlesex County has faced severe financial consequences from global warming over several decades.
According to the Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management and Preparedness, the County incurred about $199.4 million in costs related to Hurricanes Irene, Sandy, and Ida alone, including damage to county property, county equipment used in storm response, and compensation for county personnel…