Oregon county sues oil, gas companies including Exxon, Shell, Chevron for deadly 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome
Shanton Alcaraz from the Salvation Army Northwest Division gives bottled water to Eddy Norby who lives in an RV and invites him to their nearby cooling center for food and beverages during a heat wave in Seattle, Washington, U.S., June 27, 2021.

Multnomah County in Oregon is suing oil and gas companies Exxon Mobil , Shell , Chevron , BP, ConocoPhillips and related organizations for the damages caused by the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome. Multnomah County said these and other fossil fuel companies and entities operating in the region are significantly responsible for causing and worsening the deadly heat event.

"The combined historical carbon pollution from the use of Defendants' fossil fuel products was a substantial factor in causing and exacerbating the heat dome, which smothered the County's residents for several days," Multnomah County alleges, according to a written statement released Thursday.

The lawsuit is filed against Anadarko Petroleum (acquired by Occidental Petroleum in 2019), American Petroleum Institute, BP , Chevron , ConocoPhillips , Exxon Mobil , Koch Industries, Marathon Petroleum, McKinsey & Company, Motiva, Occidental Petroleum , Peabody Energy, Shell , Space Age Fuel, Total Specialties USA, Valero Energy and Western States Petroleum Association.

Multnomah County is seeking $50 million in actual damages, $1.5 billion in future damages, and an estimated $50 billion for an abatement fund to "weatherproof" the city, its infrastructure and public health services in preparation for future extreme weather events.

Starting on June 25, 2021, Multnomah County had three consecutive days where the heat reached 108, 112 and 116 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. Each of those days was about 40 degrees above the regional average and were the hottest days in the County's recorded history.

The heat event is called a heat dome which is a weather event caused by a high-pressure system that in this case prevented cooler maritime winds to blow and also prevented clouds from forming.

The heat caused the deaths of 69 people, and property damage and was a draw on taxpayer resources, Multnomah County says.

Multiple climate scientists researched the cause of the heat dome and all said that the event was caused by excessive carbon dioxide emissions released by the burning of fossil fuels, the plaintiff says.

"The heat dome that cost so much life and loss was not a natural weather event. It did not just happen because life can be cruel, nor can it be rationalized as simply a mystery of God's will," the lawsuit reads. "Rather, the heat dome was a direct and foreseeable consequence of the Defendants' decision to sell as many fossil fuel products over the last six decades as they could and to lie to the County, the public, and the scientific community about the catastrophic harm that pollution from those products into the Earth's and the County's atmosphere would cause."

Jessica Vega Pederson, the chair of Multnomah County, is seeking to protect the residents of the county she represents.

"This lawsuit is about accountability and fairness, and I believe the people of Multnomah County deserve both. These businesses knew their products were unsafe and harmful, and they lied about it," Pederson said in a written statement announcing the lawsuit. "They have profited massively from their lies and left the rest of us to suffer the consequences and pay for the damages. We say enough is enough."

The case is being brought by three law firms with expertise in catastrophic harm litigation: Worthington & Caron PC, Simon Greenstone Panatier PC, and Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost.

The plaintiffs allege the defendants committed negligence and fraud and created a public nuisance.