Maryland High Court Strikes Down Baltimore-Area Climate Lawsuits

Court Rejects Climate Suits

Maryland’s Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down climate lawsuits brought by Baltimore, Annapolis and Anne Arundel County against 26 multinational oil and gas companies.

The decision is a setback for local governments around the country that have sued energy companies in an effort to recover mounting costs linked to climate change. Similar lawsuits have been filed nationwide over the past decade.

The Maryland cases had already been dismissed by lower courts, and the state’s highest court ruled against reviving them.

Basis of the Decision

The local governments had accused the companies of deceiving the public about the dangers of using their products and sought damages tied to the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

The court found that federal law overrides state law on air pollution that crosses state lines. It said the lawsuits could not proceed and accused the plaintiffs of trying to use state litigation to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

Justice Brynja M. Booth wrote that the local governments were attempting to use state law to regulate “global conduct” said to be causing “global harm.” In another passage, she wrote that the premise of the litigation was far outside traditional state or local responsibility.

Broader Implications

The court also said that even if the claims were not pre-empted by federal law, they would still be invalid under state law.

The ruling represents a major blow to cities and counties seeking to hold oil companies financially responsible for climate-related damages through state and local lawsuits.

Baltimore, Annapolis and Anne Arundel County had sought to recover damages they said were caused by greenhouse gas emissions, but Maryland’s highest court concluded those claims could not move forward.