{"id":29931,"date":"2026-10-01T13:41:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T18:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/?p=29931"},"modified":"2026-10-01T13:41:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T18:41:10","slug":"supreme-court-to-tackle-preemption-issues-in-corporate-climate-accountability-litigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/2026\/10\/01\/supreme-court-to-tackle-preemption-issues-in-corporate-climate-accountability-litigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court to Tackle Preemption Issues in Corporate Climate Accountability Litigation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Supreme<\/a>
\u201cSupreme Court\u201d by Mark Fischer, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Monday, October 5, the Supreme Court will open its 2026\u20132027 term by hearing a climate change case, <\/span>Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County<\/span><\/i><\/a> (<\/span>Suncor<\/span><\/i>). The defendant fossil fuel companies are asking the Court to hold that the Constitution and the Clean Air Act preempt state-law claims seeking to hold the companies liable for their contributions to climate change injuries to Boulder. The case has potentially significant ramifications for other cases filed against fossil fuel industry defendants over the past 10 years and also could impact the permissible scope of state and local climate change policies. Eight justices will hear the case; the Court <\/span>informed<\/span><\/a> the parties earlier this week that Justice Alito will not participate.<\/span><\/p>\n

This post provides background on <\/span>Suncor<\/span><\/i> and an overview of the preemption issues raised by the fossil fuel companies. It also discusses potential outcomes of the <\/span>Suncor <\/span><\/i>hearing and implications for other climate cases as well as possible implications for state and local climate policymaking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Background on Boulder\u2019s Case<\/b><\/h3>\n

The County Commissioners of Boulder County and the City of Boulder (together, Boulder) filed their <\/span>suit<\/span><\/a> in 2018 in Colorado state court seeking damages and other relief for climate change-related injuries suffered as a result of the defendant fossil fuel companies\u2019 actions, including wildfires and extreme weather. Boulder asserts causes of action for public nuisance, private nuisance, trespass, and unjust enrichment.<\/span><\/p>\n

The case, like other cases brought by state and local governments against fossil fuel defendants, was tied up for many years by the defendants\u2019 unsuccessful efforts to move the case to federal court. In June 2024, the Colorado trial court <\/span>denied<\/span><\/a> a motion to dismiss Boulder\u2019s common law claims. (The trial court did, though, dismiss a claim under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.) The defendants filed a petition for order to show cause in the Colorado Supreme Court, and the court agreed to consider whether the district court had erred in concluding Boulder\u2019s claims could proceed under state law. In May 2025, the Colorado Supreme Court<\/span> ruled<\/span><\/a> that federal law did not preempt Boulder\u2019s claims. The companies filed a <\/span>petition for writ of certiorari<\/span><\/a> in August 2025, and on February 23, 2026, the Supreme Court <\/span>granted<\/span><\/a> the petition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boulder\u2019s case against the companies <\/span>presents<\/span><\/a> two primary theories of liability: (1) a \u201cdeception\u201d theory based on the companies\u2019 allegedly misleading marketing of their products and (2) a \u201csales and production\u201d theory based on allegations that the companies \u201cknowingly caused and contributed to the alteration of the climate by producing, promoting, refining, marketing and selling fossil fuels at levels that have caused and continue to cause climate change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Fossil Fuel Companies\u2019 Theories of Preemption<\/b><\/h3>\n

The fossil fuel companies argue that regardless of how Boulder characterizes its theory of liability, the claims seek relief for \u201cinjuries allegedly caused by the effects of interstate and international greenhouse-gas emissions on the global climate\u201d and are preempted by the Constitution and the Clean Air Act.<\/span><\/p>\n

Very briefly, the companies\u2019 theories of preemption and Boulder\u2019s arguments in response include:<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Constitutional structure. <\/b>The fossil fuel companies argue that two principles that make up the Constitution\u2019s \u201cfundamental structure\u201d\u2014equal sovereignty and extraterritoriality\u2014limit states\u2019 ability to regulate interstate air and water pollution. The companies<\/span> contend<\/span><\/a> that because Boulder seeks relief for the local impacts of climate change, its claims \u201cnecessarily seek to regulate activities outside Colorado that are contributing to global climate change\u201d and \u201cinherently\u201d involve interstate emissions. According to the companies, the claims are therefore preempted. In response, Boulder argues that the principle of equal sovereignty has not foreclosed application of state law to remedy in-state harms from out-of-state torts. Boulder also argues that the fossil fuel companies are advocating for an expansive and \u201cstandardless\u201d conception of \u201cextraterritoriality\u201d that extends far beyond the Court\u2019s precedents.<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Foreign affairs doctrine. <\/b>The fossil fuel companies argue that allowing plaintiffs such as Boulder to hold companies liable for international greenhouse gas emissions would interfere with U.S. foreign policy on climate and energy matters. The companies argue that the Constitution vests exclusive authority over foreign affairs in the federal government and therefore precludes Boulder\u2019s state-law claims to the extent they seek relief for injuries caused by international emissions. In response, Boulder argues that the companies must\u2014and fail to\u2014show a clear conflict between their claims and an express federal foreign policy in order for the foreign affairs doctrine to apply.<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Clean Air Act. <\/b>The companies contend that the Clean Air Act\u2019s \u201cpervasive statutory scheme\u201d occupies the field of air quality regulation and that Boulder\u2019s state-law claims would \u201cconflict with\u201d and \u201cundermine\u201d that scheme, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s determinations pursuant to that scheme about whether and how to regulate emissions. Boulder argues that the Clean Air Act\u2019s savings clause forecloses implied field preemption and that nothing in either Boulder\u2019s deception-based claims or its sales and production-based claims conflict with the Clean Air Act\u2019s scheme, which does not regulate marketing, upstream production, or sales of fossil fuel products.<\/span><\/p>\n

Potential Outcomes<\/b><\/h3>\n

It will likely be several months before the Court issues a decision, but on Monday, the eight participating justices\u2019 questions may suggest which of these theories of preemption they do or do not find potentially relevant and which arguments they do or do not find persuasive.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, there is a chance that the Court could show interest in the question of whether it has statutory and Article III jurisdiction over the case. Boulder\u2019s opposition to the petition for writ of certiorari addressed these jurisdictional issues at some length, and the Court\u2019s order granting certiorari requested that the parties brief them. (An earlier <\/span>Climate Law Blog<\/span><\/i> post<\/span><\/a> provided a brief overview of the statutory and Article III jurisdictional questions.)<\/span><\/p>\n

It is therefore possible that <\/span>Suncor<\/span><\/i> could result in a decision that returns the case to the Colorado courts for more proceedings without addressing the substantive preemption questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the Court does reach the merits of the preemption issues, the Court could, as my colleague Michael Burger discussed <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>, choose to address separately the preemption doctrines\u2019 application to Boulder\u2019s deception-based and sales and production-based theories of liability, or the Court could address the claims together or decline to distinguish the theories. In his view, the most appropriate approach would be to address the deception and sales-and-production theories separately so that the focus of the preemption analysis is on the specific \u201ctortious activity at the start of the causal chain\u201d and key questions regarding duty and remedy are transparently assessed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Impacts on Other Climate Cases and Climate Laws<\/b><\/h3>\n

As discussed in an earlier <\/span>Climate Law Blog <\/span><\/i>post<\/span><\/a>, other pending cases brought by states, local governments, Tribes, and (in a couple of more recently filed cases) individuals against fossil fuel companies do not present a monolith of claims. There are approximately 35 such cases in the Sabin Center\u2019s <\/span>Climate Litigation Database<\/span><\/a>. Some of these cases, like Boulder\u2019s, assert both sales and production-based claims and deception-based claims (see, e.g., <\/span>Multnomah County<\/span><\/a>). Most of the cases, however, focus on deception-based theories of liability (see, e.g.,<\/span> Bucks County (Pa.)<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>the State of California and California local governments<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Chicago<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Connecticut<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> Delaware<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>District of Columbia<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Hoboken (N.J.)<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Honolulu<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> Kennedy<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> Leon<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Maine<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Makah Indian Tribe<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> Massachusetts<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Minnesota<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>New Jersey<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>New York City<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Vermont<\/span><\/a>). Even among the deception-focused cases, however, the causes of action, the harms allegedly suffered as a result of climate change, and the requested remedies differ.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Supreme Court\u2019s approach to the preemption analysis of Boulder\u2019s claims could determine whether its ultimate decision has a sweeping impact on the viability of the claims in these cases or an impact that must be determined on a case-by-case basis. If the latter, the Supreme Court\u2019s analytical approach could also affect how much guidance the Court\u2019s decision provides to litigants in evaluating their options for claims and defenses.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Supreme Court decision on preemption could also affect ongoing litigation challenging New York\u2019s (<\/span>United States v. New York<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>West Virginia v. James<\/span><\/i><\/a>) and<\/span> Vermont\u2019s (Chamber of Commerce v. Moore<\/em><\/a>)<\/span> climate change superfund laws, which would require certain major greenhouse gas emitters to contribute to funds to finance climate adaptation projects. Two New York U.S. District Courts (the <\/span>Northern District<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>Southern District<\/span><\/a>) recently held that the Clean Air Act and foreign affairs doctrine preempt New York\u2019s law. New York has not yet appealed these rulings. How <\/span>Suncor <\/span><\/i>applies the preemption doctrines to Boulder\u2019s claims is likely to shape the Second Circuit\u2019s approach to evaluating their application to the New York law in any appeal.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, at least 12 other states also have <\/span>considered or are considering<\/span><\/a> whether to enact similar climate superfund laws. <\/span>Suncor<\/span><\/i> will likely inform policymakers\u2019 decisions on such laws. Depending on its outcome, <\/span>Suncor<\/span><\/i> also could have an impact on other state and local climate-related laws and policies. For example, in their <\/span>reply brief<\/span><\/a> in <\/span>Suncor<\/span><\/i>, the fossil fuel companies acknowledged that \u201c[t]o be sure, not all state regulations of conduct affecting the level of nationwide greenhouse-gas emissions conflict with the Clean Air Act.\u201d They cited gasoline taxes and energy-efficiency standards as valid regulations of in-state conduct.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What the Supreme Court determines in <\/span>Suncor<\/span><\/i> about Boulder\u2019s deception and sales-and-production claims could have ramifications for the extent to which states and localities can exercise their police powers to address the challenges of climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Monday, October 5, the Supreme Court will open its 2026\u20132027 term by hearing a climate change case, Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County (Suncor). The defendant fossil fuel companies are asking the Court to hold that the Constitution and the Clean Air Act preempt state-law claims seeking to hold the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3543,"featured_media":28402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5673],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-29931","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-litigation","8":"czr-hentry"},"yoast_head":"\nSupreme Court to Tackle Preemption Issues in Corporate Climate Accountability Litigation - Climate Law Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/2026\/10\/01\/supreme-court-to-tackle-preemption-issues-in-corporate-climate-accountability-litigation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Supreme Court to Tackle Preemption Issues in Corporate Climate Accountability Litigation - Climate Law Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On Monday, October 5, the Supreme Court will open its 2026\u20132027 term by hearing a climate change case, Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) 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