R.I. AG Kilmartin files lawsuit against 21 global Fossil Fuel companies

By: Sarah E. Rooney

Email: srooney@abc6.com

Twitter: @ABC6

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – At Rhode Island’s iconic Narragansett Sea Wall on Monday, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin publicly filed a lawsuit against 21 Fossil Fuel companies for their contribution to climate change and its consequences on the state.

According to Kilmartin, the complaint is intended to hold companies involved in the production of climate-impacting products accountable for the damage done to Rhode Island citizens, businesses, infrastructure, and ecosystems as a result of climate change.

During the announcement Monday, Kilmartin stated:

“Rhode Island is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate changes that is (sic) now on our doorstep with sea level rise and an increase in severe weather patterns, as seen by the extensive damage caused by storms in the past several years, including Super Storm Sandy and the floods of 2010. The defendants’ actions for the past several decades are already having and will continue to have a significant and detrimental impact on our infrastructure, economy, public health, and our ecosystems, and will force the State to divert already-limited resources to mitigate the effects of climate change, thereby diminishing resources for other vital programs and services.” 

As of Monday’s announcement, Rhode Island is the first state to file such a complaint against local and international oil companies.

The suit names 21 defendants, including BP, Shell, and ExxonMobile.

The complaint lists a number of charges against the defendants which point to the companies’ involvement in the production of materials that, according to the suit, have negatively impacted the Ocean State and its residents.

“For a very long time, there has been this perception that ‘Big Oil’ was too big to take on, but here we are – the smallest state – taking on some of the biggest corporate polluters in the world,” said Kilmartin during Monday’s announcement. “The defendants have contributed greatly to the increased costs associated with climate change, and as such, should be held legally responsible for those damages.”

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