Puerto Rico Oil Suit Shows Antitrust's New Role in Climate Debate

Sept. 23, 2025, 4:30 AM EDT
Aaron Regunberg
Public Citizen
Zephyr Teachout
Fordham Law School

A federal judge earlier this month dismissed a lawsuit filed by 16 municipalities in Puerto Rico seeking to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for the climate-exacerbated destruction of Hurricane Maria, which killed thousands of Puerto Ricans.

Though the plaintiffs plan to appeal their dismissal, it is tragic that Hurricane Maria’s victims won’t—for now—get to have their day in court. Nevertheless, the Puerto Rico case includes an allegation that deserves more attention: that the oil giants committed antitrust violations.

Given that the suit was dismissed based on the judge’s determination that it was untimely—Hurricane Maria occurred in 2017, and the case was filed in 2022, outside of the statute of limitations for the claims—this novel legal claim is worth further consideration.

SNIP
Ed Garvey, a geochemist at Exxon during the 1980s, concluded that the company’s goal was suppression of clean energy development. And it wasn’t just Exxon.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/puerto-rico-oil-suit-shows-antitrusts-new-role-in-climate-debate

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