By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A judge has dismissed a New York lawsuit seeking a stay Exxon Mobil BP (NYSE: ) and Shell (LON: ) responsible for misleading the public about their products and their commitment to renewable energy and the fight against climate change.
In Tuesday’s ruling, state Supreme Court Justice Anar Patel said the city cannot claim its climate-conscious residents are sensitive to how fossil fuels cause climate change, only to be duped by oil companies’ failure to disclose how their fossil fuels produce it. contributed.
“A city can’t have both,” Patel wrote.
Patel found no evidence that the oil companies and the defendant American Petroleum Institute conducted “greenwashing” campaigns, including statements about clean energy and alternative energy, to increase sales of fossil fuel products in the city.
She also said blanket statements such as Exxon’s claim that its fuel helps people drive “cleaner, smarter and longer” are too vague to suggest the defendants’ products have anything to do with climate change.
With about 8.3 million people, New York City said companies have been falsely portrayed in ads and social media as climate change leaders despite minimal investment in clean energy like wind and solar.
She sought civil penalties and an end to the alleged deceptions.
Nicholas Paolucci, a spokesman for the city’s legal department, said Wednesday that the city is considering its options.
“Our complaint alleges that these defendants have spent millions to mislead consumers into thinking that they and their products are contributing to a clean energy future,” he said. “They don’t. Companies that violate the city’s consumer protection laws should be held fully accountable. New Yorkers deserve nothing less.”
In a statement, Exxon said: “We hope that at some point political figures across the country will realize that ideological hatred of us does not mean that we have done anything wrong.”
Shell declined to comment. BP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Many US state and local governments have sued oil companies over climate change, including emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Patel’s ruling came a day after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to halt the city of Honolulu’s lawsuit against Exxon, BP, Shell and several other oil companies.
New York City’s lawsuit began in April 2021, three weeks after a federal appeals court dismissed its lawsuit seeking to have Exxon, BP, Shell, Chevron (NYSE: ) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: ) are required to pay for their global warming costs.
The American Petroleum Institute welcomed the latest decision. “Climate policy is for Congress to debate and decide, not for the courts to decide,” said Ryan Meyers, the trade group’s general counsel.
The case is City of New York v. Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE: ) et al., Supreme Court of the State of New York, District of New York, No. 451071/2021.
