Supreme Court's new term kicks off with blockbuster climate change case
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Louie Delaware walks through an open area near his rebuilt home in Louisville, Colo. The landscape includes areas where homes destroyed in the Marshall Fire have not been rebuilt. The costs of adapting to climate-related impacts are part of Boulder County's claims against ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy. Jimena Peck for NPR hide caption
A new Supreme Court term began Monday with arguments in a blockbuster case about the reach of state power.
Boulder, Colo., is suing two big energy companies, arguing they deceived people about the harms of fossil fuels and contributed to disasters that cost Boulder a lot of time and money.
The dispute could have ramifications far beyond the climate, to other areas where states are trying to hold companies accountable for their alleged harms to local communities.
In 2018, Boulder County slapped the giant energy companies Suncor Energy and Exxon Mobil with a lawsuit. Boulder argued the companies and a trade group knew decades ago that fossil fuels would hurt the environment, raising the risk of floods, extreme heat and wildfires.
Three years later, in late December 2021, the Marshall Fire swept across the county.
High winds, severe drought, and warm temps led to Colorado's historic wildfire
Daryl McCool left her home southeast of Boulder so fast she couldn't remember whether she locked the front door.
"There's basically nothing left," McCool said. "A 2,000-degree fire burns everything, like coins were melted, bicycles melted."
Daryl McCool poses inside her rebuilt home in Superior, Colorado. Her previous home was destroyed in the Marshall Fire, which swept through Superior and Louisville on Dec. 30, 2021. Jimena Peck for NPR hide caption
The historic 1901 house where she raised her son had turned to ash. McCool spent years helping her neighbors file insurance papers and apply for grants to rebuild their homes. Now, she tries to educate people about the human costs of climate change.
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- Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition
- Louie Delaware walks through an open area near his rebuilt home in Louisville, Colo. The landscape includes areas where homes destroyed in the Marshall Fire have not been rebuilt. The costs of adapting to climate-related impacts are part of
- A new Supreme Court term began Monday with arguments in a blockbuster case about the reach of state power.
- Boulder, Colo., is suing two big energy companies, arguing they deceived people about the harms of fossil fuels and contributed to disasters that cost Boulder a lot of time and money.
- The dispute could have ramifications far beyond the climate, to other areas where states are trying to hold companies accountable for their alleged harms to local communities.