Supreme Court Allows State-Law Climate Suits Against Oil Companies to Proceed

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Monday turned away appeals by oil companies seeking protection from potential liability under state laws for harms caused by climate change, a decision that at least for now allows a number of cases to move forward under state laws the industry sees as less favorable than federal environmental statutes. 

Oil companies, among them Chevron Corp. , Exxon Mobil Corp. and Shell PLC, are facing lawsuits alleging varied environmental harms from greenhouse-gas emissions filed under state laws by Rhode Island and several local governments, including the city of Baltimore; Boulder and San Miguel counties, Colo.; Honolulu and Maui counties, Hawaii; and Marin, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, Calif.