After a Plaquemines Parish jury last week ruled that Chevron must pay $744 million in damages, critics are warning that the lawsuit—and dozens of similar lawsuits—will hike energy costs for Americans, The Center Square reports.
Plaquemines Parish had sued Chevron alleging that oil exploration off the coast decades ago led to the erosion of Louisiana’s coastline. The Louisiana case is just one of dozens of environmental cases around the country that could have a dramatic—and costly—impact on American energy consumers.
Daniel Erspamer, CEO of the Pelican Institute, told The Center Square that Chevron is expected to appeal the decision and that the Louisiana case could go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“So the issue at play here is a question about coastal erosion, about legal liability and about the proper role of the courts versus state government or federal government in enforcing regulation and statute,” Erspamer says.
Another question in the case is whether companies can be held accountable for actions they carried out before regulations were passed restricting them.
“There are now well more than 40 different lawsuits targeting over 200 different companies,” Erspamer says.
