New York State is moving closer to allowing residents to sue oil and gas companies over their role in climate change, thanks to a bill backed by Assemblymember Michaelle Solages and State Senator Zellnor Myrie. The measure, which expands civil suit eligibility against companies by defining “climate negligence,” has gained traction in the state Legislature.
“The climate emergency is here, whether big polluters are ready to acknowledge it or not,” said Senator Myrie. “I am grateful to Assemblymember Solages for joining this important fight to give ordinary people a chance to hold bad actors in the fossil fuel industry accountable for decades of negligence and denial.”
Under the proposal, any member of the public who can claim harm from climate change would be able to recover civil damages in court. The bill also aims to prevent companies from engaging in false or deceptive advertising about their impact on the environment.
The bill is being compared to a controversial anti-abortion law in Texas, and is expected to see significant support as lawmakers in New York push for greater action on climate change.
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