(Daily360.com) – A far left county in Oregon is launching law fare against oil companies with a tricky component that tries to tip the scales in their favor. The Multnomah County leaders filed suit against top oil producers like Shell, Exxon, BP, and others because according to their suit, these companies are causing major harm to the environment and the people. They also say these companies know they’re doing damage but hide this information from the public.
The tricky element to the suit is that along with these large companies the suit also targets Space Age Fuel company. This company is not a large oil company; in fact it’s not an oil company at all. Space Age Fuel is a small regional company that operates gas stations throughout the Pacific Northwest. They are not international and they are not a company that produces or will ever produce oil. The reason they are named is believed to be a lawfare tactic. Their inclusion, should it remain, would likely keep the case within local courts and not federal courts.
It’s believed a suit like this would immediately be dismissed within the federal court system whereas more sympathetic local judges might entertain the suit. Experts believe this tactic could be a new way for the left to end the fossil fuel industry by any means necessary.
A left-wing group called Center for Climate Integrity is reported to have engaged in talks with Multnomah County leaders before they launched the suit. The goal of this group is to help local officials throughout the country sue and fight energy companies.
Space Age Fuel representatives said they do not know why they are being sued. They say they have never misinformed the public about climate change because they have never conducted any study or commented publicly about the climate at any time. They say they’re nothing more than a family-owned Oregon gas station company that began in 1982.
The matter is now in the hands of a state court judge who will decide if Space Age Fuel can be included in the suit. Should the judge decide they cannot, then the case would move to federal court. Multnomah County says Space Age Fuel is guilty of “collective culpable conduct” because they sell gasoline. Legal analysts say should the suit stay in state court, a verdict could be deleterious for citizens and their future energy costs.
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