The US Supreme Court opened its new nine-month term on Monday with arguments in a major case involving a bid by oil companies ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy to scuttle a lawsuit by officials in Boulder, Colorado, seeking monetary damages for harms caused by climate change.

US-based Exxon and Canada-based Suncor appealed after the Colorado Supreme Court let Boulder’s lawsuit accusing them of state law violations proceed. The Trump administration has backed the companies, arguing that federal law precludes Boulder’s claims. Boulder’s city and county governments have accused the companies of driving climate change and misleading the public about fossil fuel risks.

Boulder aims to hold the companies liable for past and future costs linked to climate change, including infrastructure repairs, environmental damage, emergency management and public health harms. Nearly 60 state and local governments have brought similar suits seeking billions of dollars, and a ruling for the companies could lead to many being dismissed. The court also declined to hear a challenge to a Michigan school district’s ban on Let’s Go Brandon sweatshirts.