HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that City and County of Honolulu has the go-ahead to sue 15 big gas and oil companies for misinformation.

Gas giants including Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron and BP all appealed the lawsuit, calling it meritless, and said climate change is a federal issue.

The lawsuit was filed in March 2020 by the city and the Board of Water Supply.

It raised several claims that the gas companies misled the public about the damaging effects of fossil fuels and accused them of contributing to global climate change.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday that it would not intervene the lawsuit, allowing it to proceed.

Gas companies involved in the lawsuit might have to cover the the costs of natural disasters caused by climate change in the future.

Honolulu’s lawsuit now clears the way for legal claims brought by about two dozen states and cities which are looking to collect billions of dollars in damages.

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