{"id":2584902,"date":"2026-03-28T12:51:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T16:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/climate-change-reparations-melted-by-new-court-ruling-in-deep-blue-state\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T12:55:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T16:55:31","slug":"climate-change-reparations-melted-by-new-court-ruling-in-deep-blue-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/climate-change-reparations-melted-by-new-court-ruling-in-deep-blue-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change Reparations Melted by New Court Ruling in Deep Blue State"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fclimate-change-reparations-melted-by-new-court-ruling-in-deep-blue-state%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2584902&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Maryland Supreme Court dismissed three local climate lawsuits filed by Baltimore, Annapolis, and Anne Arundel County against 26 fossil fuel companies, ruling that regulating interstate pollution is a federal responsibility rather than a state or local one. The court said the local governments\u2019 nuisance and related claims extend beyond Maryland\u2019s authority and cannot address global greenhouse-gas emissions on a local basis, noting that Maryland\u2019s emissions cannot be sole cause of the alleged harms. It also emphasized that tracing specific local injuries to particular defendants would be impractical given the global nature of climate change.The decision aligns with similar dismissals in other courts and comes as the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a related case (Boulder City and Boulder County v. Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy) in late 2026, with the DOJ backing the energy companies\u2019 position that localities should not be able to regulate global emissions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Maryland Supreme Court dismissed local lawsuits against fossil fuel companies that demanded payouts over climate change on Tuesday. Baltimore, Annapolis, and Anne Arundel County filed 3 separate lawsuits against 26 multinational fossil fuel companies for damages caused by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-demand-info-on-climate-groups-ties-to-china\/\" title=\"House Republicans Demand Info On Climate Groups\u2019 Ties To China\">global greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Maryland Supreme Court ruled against the three and said the regulation of interstate pollution has historically been in the jurisdiction of the federal government rather than the states.<\/p>\n<p>Baltimore filed a lawsuit against the oil and gas companies in 2018, with Annapolis and Anne Arundel County filing similar lawsuits in 2021, according to the Maryland Supreme Court&rsquo;s opinion. Baltimore alleged in their suit that the companies misled the public about fossil fuel&rsquo;s dangers.<\/p>\n<p>The suit claimed their conduct &ldquo;actually and proximately caused the sea levels to rise,&rdquo; &ldquo;increased coastal erosion,&rdquo; &ldquo;increased the destructive impacts of storm surges,&rdquo; and &ldquo;disrupted the hydrological cycle.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Baltimore alleged the oil companies&rsquo; conduct caused &ldquo;inundation, destruction, and\/or other interference with&rdquo; the city&rsquo;s &ldquo;property and citizenry.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Baltimore, Annapolis, and Anne Arundel County argued the causes associated with the defendant&rsquo;s actions violated Maryland&rsquo;s laws of public\/private nuisance, strict liability for failure to warn, negligent failure to warn, and trespassing. All cases were initially dismissed by their respective Circuit Courts.<\/p>\n<p>The Circuit Court of Baltimore dismissed Baltimore&rsquo;s legal claims, stating that public nuisance laws only apply to &ldquo;cases involving a defendant&rsquo;s use of land,&rdquo; not to &ldquo;product liability cases.&rdquo; The trespassing claims brought by Baltimore extended beyond what the Maryland Supreme Court allowed in the past. The circuit court dismissed the &ldquo;failure to warn&rdquo; claims and determined they were based on a duty to &ldquo;warn the world&rdquo; rather than<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>Maryland.<\/p>\n<p>The Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County dismissed Annapolis and Anne Arundel &ldquo;on the grounds of preemption for essentially the same reasons&rdquo; as the dismissed Baltimore case.<\/p>\n<p>All three localities appealed to the Appellate Court of Maryland, which consolidated the cases after the defendants moved to consolidate the appeals. The Maryland Supreme Court subsequently took the case after the defendants petitioned for higher court review.<\/p>\n<p>The Maryland Supreme Court dismissed the case, agreeing with the circuit court that the local governments extended state law beyond its applicable territory. The court also stated that regulation of interstate pollution was a federal matter and that state governments never had primary authority regarding it.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The local governments seek damages for injuries &rsquo;caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions,&rsquo; which are &lsquo;all due to anthropogenic global warming,&rsquo;&rdquo; said the Supreme Court&rsquo;s opinion.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To state the obvious, global warming is created by global consumption. Given that Maryland accounts for only a fraction of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/study-worlds-worst-polluter-china-polluting-even-more-post-pandemic\/\" title=\"Study: World\u2019s Worst Polluter China Polluting Even More Post-Pandemic\">global carbon dioxide emissions<\/a>, Maryland&rsquo;s emissions alone cannot possibly be responsible for causing the local governments&rsquo; alleged injuries.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No amount of creative pleading can masquerade the fact that the local governments are attempting to utilize state law to regulate global conduct that is purportedly causing global harm,&rdquo; the court said. The court said it would be impossible to trace the origins of greenhouse gases emitted in the atmosphere and prove the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >defendants directly caused specific harm<\/a> to Maryland residents.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Quite simply, the notion that a local government such as Baltimore, Annapolis, or Anne Arundel County may pursue state law nuisance claims against the Defendants&mdash;seeking injunctive relief to abate injuries arising from global greenhouse effects arising from worldwide conduct&mdash;is so far afield from any area of traditional state or local responsibility that it cannot be seriously contemplated.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Chevron Corporation legal counsel Theodore Boutrous Jr. said the Maryland Supreme Court&rsquo;s decision aligned with many dismissals federal and state courts have made against climate lawsuits. &ldquo;Allowing each of the 50 states to impose their own preferred policy solutions for climate change would create a plainly irrational system of regulation,&rdquo; said Boutrous.<\/p>\n<p>The United States Supreme Court agreed in February to review a similar case Boulder City and Boulder County brought against Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy, and will be hearing arguments in late fall 2026, <a href=\"https:\/\/natlawreview.com\/article\/supreme-court-review-boulder-case-could-shape-future-climate-litigation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to a report by National Law Review.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration Department of Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/25\/25-170\/374482\/20250911204722982_25-170_Boulder_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">backed<\/a> the energy companies&rsquo; petition in September and argued that the case would allow for every locality in America to &ldquo;sue essentially anyone&rdquo; for global climate change contribution.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Maryland Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out three local lawsuits-brought by Baltimore, Annapolis, and Anne Arundel County against 26 multinational fossil-fuel companies-that sought damages tied to climate change. The court ruled that regulating interstate pollution falls under federal, not state, authority, and that Maryland cannot use state law to address global greenhouse-gas emissions. The plaintiffs had argued that the companies misled the public about the dangers of fossil fuels and that their conduct contributed to rising sea levels, greater coastal erosion, more damaging storm surges, and disruptions to the hydrological cycle, causing harm to property and residents. <\/p>\n<p>Lower courts had dismissed the cases for various reasons: Baltimore\u2019s claim was limited by public-nuisance doctrine to land use rather than product liability; Maryland did not recognize a duty to warn in the way plaintiffs alleged; and preemption concerns led Anne Arundel County and Annapolis to have their claims dismissed as well. All three cases were consolidated for appeal, and the Maryland Supreme Court ultimately agreed with the lower courts, concluding that the local governments had stretched state law beyond its applicable reach and that regulating interstate pollution is a federal matter. The court emphasized that global warming results from worldwide consumption and that Maryland\u2019s emissions represent only a small share of global emissions, making it impossible to prove that Maryland-specific injuries were caused by the defendants\u2019 actions. The court also stated that no amount of pleading could justify using state law to regulate global conduct causing global harm. <\/p>\n<p>Outside commentary noted by the court included Chevron\u2019s counsel arguing that allowing states to impose their own climate policies would create an irrational regulatory patchwork. The U.S. Supreme Court is also set to consider a comparable case, Boulder City and Boulder County v. Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy, with arguments expected later in 2026, as reported by National Law Review<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2584903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7354-1.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[13784,69263,9128],"class_list":["post-2584902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-climate-change","tag-court-ruling-2","tag-reparations"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7354-1.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2584902"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584906,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584902\/revisions\/2584906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2584903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2584902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2584902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2584902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}