Middlesex Co. Files Climate Lawsuit Against Major Oil Companies

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Middlesex County has filed a lawsuit against major oil companies, saying they should help pay for the costs of severe weather linked to climate change.

The county joins the State of New Jersey and the City of Hoboken in suing the companies. The defendants include BP and BP America, Exxon Mobil and Exxon Oil, and Shell PLC and Shell USA, along with others. The county says the companies' conduct led to rising temperatures, heavy rain, floods, coastal storms and droughts that have hurt the county financially for decades. The claims are the county's allegations.

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The county's Office of Emergency Management and Preparedness said Middlesex spent about $199.4 million on Hurricanes Irene, Sandy and Ida. That includes damage to county property, equipment used in storm response and pay for county employees.

Since 2011, the county has received more than $33.2 million from FEMA across 184 projects tied to those storms. It also put in about $5 million in required local matching funds. The county says the numbers show a big gap between what it spent and what it got back.

"This lawsuit is a necessary step forward to help protect our communities from further damage from extreme weather events," said Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios. "Our residents are not only bearing the costs of damage from flooding and other natural disasters, but also the rising everyday costs of protecting their homes and families from extreme heat and cold."

Commissioner Leslie Koppel, who chairs the Finance Committee, said communities are still dealing with the effects of storms like Ida and Henri. "This legal action is about protecting our residents, and ensuring the County is positioned to move quickly to secure much-needed funds as this case advances," she said.

The county points to its history of severe weather. Since 1953, FEMA has declared 24 weather-related disasters in Middlesex County. The county also says it has recorded 60 floods from coastal storms and heavy rain in recent decades, causing more than $500 million in property damage and more than $100 million in flood insurance claims.

The county says geography adds to the risk. The Raritan River and Raritan Bay border 12 of its 25 municipalities, which makes those areas vulnerable to flooding as sea levels rise.

To address flooding, the county started the Southern Middlesex Flood Mitigation and Resiliency Study. It is a regional study paid for by a FEMA grant, and it looks at recent, nuisance and chronic flooding across southern Middlesex County.

Residents can learn more and take a community survey at middlesexcountynj.gov/floodstudy.

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