Eight California cities and counties, including San Francisco and Oakland, want billions of dollars from fossil fuel companies, alleging they caused major climate problems, like rising seas and extreme weather.
For the first time since California's dam-building boom ended nearly a half century ago, state officials on Tuesday approved a windfall of cash for new water storage projects, setting the stage for at least a mini-resurgence of reservoir construction.
When Gov. Jerry Brown leaves office next year, California will lose a climate advocate who has carried the nation's fight against global warming as Washington has stood down.
Oil giant ExxonMobil has launched a counterpunch to the lawsuits filed by San Francisco and other communities that seek damages for climate change, alleging that the California jurisdictions conspired to vilify and taunt the oil industry.
The city and county of Santa Cruz has joined a growing number of communities suing oil companies over climate change, alleging a Big Tobacco-like plot in which the fossil fuel industry long concealed the dangers of its products from consumers.
