Storm-plagued village sues energy companies
February 26th, 2008
photo by Melinda Kramer
The eroding village of Kivalina in the Northwest Arctic is suing Exxon Mobil and 23 other energy companies for damage related to global warming.
The suit was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on behalf of the Native village's federally recognized tribe and its city government, according to lawyers for the village.
Kivalina, located on a shrinking barrier island in the Chukchi Sea, says the energy companies should pay to move the village to safer ground.
"We need to relocate now before we lose lives," said Janet Mitchell, city administrator for Kivalina, in a press release announcing the lawsuit.
The companies are contributing to global warming that is threatening to destroy the village, according to the lawsuit, which demands a jury trial. The defendants include one coal company, nine oil companies and 14 utilities. Three of the oil companies - Exxon, BP and Conoco Phillips - operate on Alaska's North Slope.
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