Supreme Court to Hear Boulder Climate Change Lawsuit Against Energy Giants

Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil request federal court review of case seeking damages for climate change impacts.

Feb. 23, 2026 at 6:49pm

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The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear a landmark climate change lawsuit brought by the City of Boulder and Boulder County against energy companies Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil. The local governments are seeking damages to help pay for the costs of rebuilding and adapting to the effects of climate change, which they allege the companies knowingly contributed to through fossil fuel production and misleading the public.

Why it matters

This case could have far-reaching implications for similar lawsuits filed by governments across the country seeking to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate change-related damages. The Supreme Court's decision on whether the case should be heard in federal or state court could determine the viability of these types of lawsuits moving forward.

The details

Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil have argued the case should be heard in federal court, where similar suits have been dismissed, rather than state court where Boulder and Boulder County filed the lawsuit. The Trump administration previously weighed in to support the energy companies' position. Boulder officials say the lawsuit aims to ensure the corporations responsible for climate change pay their fair share of the costs, rather than shifting the burden to local taxpayers.

  • The U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear the case on February 23, 2026.
  • Arguments on the case are expected at the Supreme Court in the fall of 2026.

The players

Suncor Energy

An energy company that is one of the defendants in the climate change lawsuit brought by the City of Boulder and Boulder County.

ExxonMobil

An energy company that is one of the defendants in the climate change lawsuit brought by the City of Boulder and Boulder County.

City of Boulder

The local government that filed the climate change lawsuit against Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil, seeking damages to help pay for the costs of rebuilding and adapting to the effects of climate change.

Boulder County

The local government that filed the climate change lawsuit against Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil, seeking damages to help pay for the costs of rebuilding and adapting to the effects of climate change.

Ashley Stolzmann

Boulder County Commissioner who criticized the energy companies' attempts to delay or move the climate change lawsuit to federal court.

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What they’re saying

“The oil companies have tried every avenue to delay our climate accountability case or move it to an out-of-state court system. As everyone continues to face rising costs that put budgets under pressure, we must hold oil companies accountable for the significant harm they've caused our communities. We move forward with renewed energy and purpose for the next step toward justice.”

— Ashley Stolzmann, Boulder County Commissioner

“Boulder is already experiencing the effects of a rapidly warming climate, and the financial burden of adaptation should not fall solely on local taxpayers. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will not hamstring our right under Colorado law to seek the resources needed to build a safer, more resilient future.”

— Jonathan Koehn, Boulder's climate initiatives director

“The financial burden of all this adaptation is falling solely on local taxpayers.”

— Tiff Boyd, Executive director, Classrooms for Climate Action

What’s next

Arguments on the case are expected at the Supreme Court in the fall of 2026.

The takeaway

This Supreme Court case could set an important precedent for whether local governments can hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the costs of climate change adaptation and resilience. The outcome could impact similar lawsuits across the country seeking to shift the financial burden away from taxpayers and onto the corporations responsible for driving climate change.