The Eugene Federal Courthouse will be the scene of a landmark legal proceeding tomorrow at 10 a.m. Twenty-one youth plaintiffs will be presenting their arguments for a case against the United States federal government for violating the constitutional rights of future generations by knowingly polluting the air with carbon emissions.
Timothy Ingalsbee, professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies, explained the plaintiffs’ position as well as why this case is significant.
“This case in one-of-a-kind,” said Ingalsbee, “Never before has there been a group that has sued the federal government along constitutional lines for knowingly polluting the environment.”
The plaintiffs will lay out their argument that the U.S government has known for about 50 years that carbon emissions from fossil fuels result in dangerous climate change. They hold that the government did not make meaningful strides to end climate pollution and actually furthered oil companies’ ability to pollute the environment.
Ingalsbee says that while there are no federal statutes regulating carbon emissions, the case pleads that the actions of the U.S. government violated the Public Trust Doctrine, which is an environmental law that ensures responsible use of the nation’s resources. It is this doctrine that the plaintiffs say endows this and futures generations with environmental constitutional rights.
“The case asserts that the federal government violated our Constitutional rights by polluting the air and damaging the climate,” said Ingalsbee.
Lawyers and representatives from all the major world oil companies are expected to be at the hearing to listen to the arguments. There will be a news conference with plaintiffs after the hearing.