Photo: Alex MacLean
December 22, 2021 (BOSTON, MA) – Judge Mark Wolf has denied ExxonMobil’s attempts to further delay a climate case brought by Conservation Law Foundation (CLF). CLF’s case argues Exxon is putting neighborhoods at risk by not preparing its Everett, MA fossil fuel terminal for flooding and storms associated with the climate crisis.
“Judge Wolf saw right through Exxon’s attempts to further delay this case,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “The longer this case goes on, the greater chance of a major storm exposing just how vulnerable this facility is, which would be catastrophic for surrounding neighborhoods and for Boston Harbor. This was yet another desperate attempt by Exxon to hide what it knows about the climate crisis.”
CLF’s lawsuit alleges that ongoing spills and pollution at ExxonMobil’s Everett Terminal and Exxon’s failure to address current and imminent climate risks at the facility – risks its own scientists have warned of for decades – are unlawful under the federal Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Exxon’s most recent legal maneuvers attempted to delay and complicate the discovery process, which the judge ruled against today.
A copy of CLF’s lawsuit can be found here. CLF is also pursuing similar cases in Providence, Rhode Island; New Haven, Connecticut; and Quincy, Massachusetts.
CLF experts are available for further comment. You can view a story map that summarizes the issues surrounding the Everett facility here, and a short video about this case can be viewed here.
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