Environment

N.Y. bill would allow citizens to sue oil companies over climate change

It includes a provision specifying that the state attorney general can sue on the same grounds.
A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pumpjacks operate in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas, Oct. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Legislation introduced in New York would make the state the first to allow citizens to sue oil and gas companies over damage spurred by climate change.

Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D), who first introduced the bill last session, said in an interview that he envisions private action being used by farmers over adverse effects to their crops, homeowners seeking redress for climate change-exacerbated storm damage, and poor communities where pollution has disproportionately affected the population.

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