Leaders of Oregon’s Multnomah County have filed a lawsuit against 17 Oil and gas companies including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, BP, and other leading players.

The county is the most populated in the state, is home to landmark destination Portland, and is known for having mild but rainy weather. After record-breaking temperatures during a 2021 heat dome over the county, officials in Multnomah argue that it's time to hold big oil and gas companies accountable for their role in the climate change that has impacted the county and its residents.

In a statement released last Thursday, county officials contend “The combined historical carbon pollution from the use of Defendants’ fossil fuel products was a substantial factor in causing and exacerbating the heat dome, which smothered the County’s residents for several days.”

On June 25, 2021, Multnomah County recorded record-breaking temperatures for three consecutive days. Temperatures reached 108, 112, and 116° Fahrenheit, a documented 40° above the regional average.

A heat dome is a weather event in which a high-pressure system keeps cool air from the Pacific Ocean from bringing down temperatures inland. As a result of the heat dome, 69 people were killed and critical infrastructure suffered, causing property damage and a drain on taxpayer resources according to county officials.

The county released a report titled June 2021 Extreme Heat Event that detailed the preliminary findings and action steps following the record-breaking temperatures. The report dives into the events that occurred including community response, casualties, and other ways in which the county and its residents were impacted.

The county took an introspective look at its operating procedures and vowed to implement greater measures in the event of extreme weather. As part of its action steps, the county recognizes that it must face the climate crisis. This lawsuit serves as one way to take critical steps to protect the county and its residents.

Supported by reports from the scientific community, county officials contend in their lawsuit that the heat dome was the result of excessive carbon dioxide emissions because of burning fossil fuels. County officials point the blame directly at these fossil fuel companies for their contribution to climate change.

County officials maintain that the heat dome was “not a natural weather event” but rather, “a direct and foreseeable consequence of the Defendants’ decision to sell as many fossil fuel products over the last six decades as they could and to lie to the County, the public, and the scientific community about the catastrophic harm that pollution from those products into the Earth’s and the County’s atmosphere would cause.”

The lawsuit alleges that the gas and oil companies knew that their business practices and products were unsafe and harmful, adding that the defendants lied about how their operations contributed to climate change. “They have profited massively from their lies and left the rest of us to suffer the consequences and pay for the damages. We say enough is enough,” explains the lawsuit.

County officials accuse the energy leaders of negligence and fraud and creating a public nuisance. The lawsuit is seeking $50 million in actual damages, $1.5 billion in future damages, and an estimated $50 billion for an abatement that would “weatherproof” the county, critical infrastructure, and its public health services in order to combat future weather events.