The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected petitions by some of the biggest oil and gas producers in North America, which sought to move dozens of state lawsuits concerning climate change to federal court. However, the legal journey is set to continue, possibly for years.

The high court on Monday denied a writ of certiorari sought by Suncor Energy Inc. and ExxonMobil in a lawsuit filed in 2018 by Boulder County, CO (Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. et al. v. Board of County Commissioners of Boulder County et al., No. 21-1550). 

The petition by Suncor and ExxonMobil was sought after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled in favor of Boulder. The denial of certiorari did not imply that the Supreme Court agreed with a lower court’s ruling. It means that fewer than four...