Well, well, well. It looks like Shell—along with its equally virtuous partners in climate destruction, Exxon, Chevron, BP, and ConocoPhillips—just took another legal hit. And not just any hit, but a nice, satisfying rejection from the U.S. Supreme Court. That’s right, the highest court in the land just told Big Oil’s fan club (otherwise known as 19 Republican attorneys general) to sit down and stop whining.
These oil-soaked litigators, led by Alabama’s Attorney General Steve Marshall, were trying to shut down climate lawsuits brought by California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. These states, you see, dared to suggest that oil companies shouldn’t have lied to the public for decades about how burning fossil fuels would set the planet on fire. Telling the truth is still a radical concept in the fossil fuel world.
But let’s be clear: Shell and its industry pals are not about to take responsibility for anything. Because if they did, they might have to dip into the endless cash reserves that keep rolling in thanks to their top-tier enablers—like BlackRock and Vanguard. That’s right, these fine investment giants keep plowing money into Shell’s pockets, ensuring that the oil giant can continue its legacy of pollution, deception, and lobbying for regulatory loopholes.