New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law that will require fossil fuel companies to pay for damages related to "climate impact" and adverse weather conditions, the governor's office announced on Thursday.
The self-described "landmark legislation" looks to create a "Climate Superfund" that will make New York more resilient to conditions such as flooding and extreme heat. "With nearly every record rainfall, heat wave, and coastal storm, New Yorkers are increasingly burdened with billions of dollars in health, safety, and environmental consequences due to polluters that have historically harmed our environment," Hochul said in a statement.
Democrat state Sen. Liz Krueger, a cosponsor on the bill, called the law a "shot that will be heard 'round the world.'"
"Too often over the last decade, courts have dismissed lawsuits against the oil and gas industry by saying that the issue of climate culpability should be decided by legislatures," Krueger said in a statement. "Well, the Legislature of the State of New York — the 10th largest economy in the world — has accepted the invitation, and I hope we have made ourselves very clear: The planet's largest climate polluters bear a unique responsibility for creating the climate crisis, and they must pay their fair share to help regular New Yorkers deal with the consequences."
New York's law follows in the footsteps of Northeast neighbor Vermont, which in May became the first state to require oil companies to pay for damages as a result of alleged climate change impacts.
The American Petroleum Institute had already began prepping the legal attack of such legislation saying in a letter to the Vermont Legislature, "With respect to impact attribution from source emissions, it seems obvious that those who drafted this legislation are aware of the difficulties of establishing a conclusive link between anthropogenic climate change and alleged injuries to Vermont."
"This type of legislation represents nothing more than a punitive new fee on American energy, and we are evaluating our options moving forward," an API spokesperson told The Hill on Thursday when asked about the New York legislation.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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