"At issue was whether oil companies could be held liable for damage from future wildfires caused at least in part by climate change. The state Senate Judiciary Committee vote on the measure came just two days after a Louisiana jury held oil giant Chevron liable by for $744.6 million to restore damage to Louisiana's coastal wetlands. The case was the first of many pending against oil companies that have supposedly lied about whether their policies"
"Keeping alive California's somewhat similar bill (SB222) to allow for assessing damages after California fires would have required seven votes in committee, but it only got five, from Democrats Scott Wiener, of San Francisco; Ben Allen, of Santa Monica; John Laird, of Santa Clara; Henry Stern, of Los Angeles; and Akilah Weber Pierson, of La Mesa. Several senators avoided going on the record directly against this bill by abstaining from voting on it, which was essentially as good as voting "no.""
California's SB222, which would allow holding oil companies liable for damages from future climate-linked wildfires, failed in the state Senate Judiciary Committee after receiving only five votes. The vote came days after a Louisiana jury awarded Chevron $744.6 million for coastal-wetland restoration. Democrats Scott Wiener, Ben Allen, John Laird, Henry Stern, and Akilah Weber Pierson voted yes; several senators abstained, effectively voting no. Business and labor groups opposed the bill and presented a study from the California Center for Jobs and the Economy claiming litigation costs would be passed to consumers, potentially raising gasoline to $7.38 per gallon and industrial electric rates 65%.
Read at The Mercury News
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