The eroding village of Kivalina in the Northwest Arctic announced today it is suing ExxonMobil and 23 other energy companies for damage due to global warming.
The suit was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on behalf of the Native village, a federally recognized tribe, and the city of Kivilina, according to lawyers representing the village.
The suit names Exxon, Peabody Energy Corp., Southern Co., American Electric Co., Duke Energy Co., Chevron Corp. and Shell Oil Co., plus other companies.
The suit says the companies should pay for relocating Kivalina, on a shrinking barrier island in the Chukchi Sea. The village has been buffeted by severe storms in recent years. Last fall, most of the residents evacuated inland to escape the danger posed by the first storm of the season.