When the Supreme Court opens its new term on Monday, America’s manufacturers will be watching one case that will have massive implications for job growth and business investment in communities across the nation. In this case, Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, the justices will consider whether state and local governments can use state lawsuits to make selected companies pay for harms attributed to global climate change.

The stakes are high and extend well beyond climate change and the two energy companies the Colorado county has sued. If individual states and municipalities can use their courts to assign financial responsibility for complex national and global policy challenges, manufacturers across sectors could face an expanding patchwork of lawsuits whenever policymakers struggle to resolve a difficult social, environmental, or economic issue.