(C) Common Dreams
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Nearly 200 Groups Call on Democratic Leaders to Oppose Immunity for the Fossil Fuel Industry [1]
['Eloise Goldsmith', 'Julia Conley', 'Jake Johnson']
Date: 2025-03-13 16:13:28+00:00
Amid a growing number of legal and legislative efforts to hold Big Oil companies accountable for their role in the climate crisis, a coalition of nonprofit groups are calling on Congressional Democrats to “proactively and affirmatively reject” potential efforts aimed at shielding the fossil fuel industry from legal liability.
In a letter to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, 195 groups including Earthjustice, Sunrise Movement, and the American Association of Justice, pointed to past efforts from the fossil fuel industry to secure a liability waiver from Congress, as well as statements from President Trump, as reason to anticipate a new push to immunize polluters.
“We have reason to believe that the fossil fuel industry and its allies will use the chaos and overreach of the new Trump administration to attempt yet again to pass some form of liability waiver and shield themselves from facing consequences for their decades of pollution and deception,” the groups wrote. “That effort — no matter what form it takes — must not be allowed to succeed.”
Dozens of state, municipal, and tribal governments have filed lawsuits against major oil and gas companies to hold them accountable and make them pay for deceiving the public about the dangers of fossil fuels. Several of those cases are advancing toward discovery and ultimately trial. Twice this year the U.S. Supreme Court has denied requests — most recently on Monday — aimed at shielding Big Oil companies from facing such lawsuits, even after industry allies targeted the justices with an unprecedented pressure campaign.
Separately, a growing number of state legislatures are advancing climate superfund bills that would compel major fossil fuel companies to contribute to funds supporting climate adaptation, infrastructure, and community rebuilding efforts based on their historical emissions. Vermont and New York passed first-of-their-kind climate superfund laws last year, both of which are now facing legal challenges from fossil fuel interests, and at least 10 additional states have introduced similar legislation in 2025.
The groups’ letter asks Schumer and Jeffries “to draw a line in the sand now — before fossil fuel industry allies divulge their specific plans — and unite your caucuses in firm opposition to any Congressional efforts to bail out climate polluters from facing legal and legislative consequences for their central role in the climate crisis.”
"Democrats need to be on guard so that Big Oil’s congressional allies can’t sneak immunity into a bill without it meeting fierce and vocal resistance,” said Aaron Regunberg, Director of Public Citizen’s climate accountability project. “No industry should be above the law — especially one whose criminal actions have fueled the greatest threat to human safety in history."
"Big Oil companies know they face massive liability, and we know they'll do everything they can to avoid facing the evidence of their climate deception in court,” said Richard Wiles, President of the Center for Climate Integrity. “Now that the Supreme Court has repeatedly refused to bail out Big Oil, and lawsuits against the companies are getting closer to trial, members of Congress must not give the fossil fuel industry a 'get out of jail free card' for its fraudulent and destructive behavior."
“For decades, the fossil fuel industry has known the health and climate harms of its actions. Instead of addressing them, they have tried everything to insulate themselves from the catastrophes they cause,” said Earthjustice Action Vice President of Policy and Legislation Raúl García. “That’s not how fairness works, and it’s not how the law works. Just like anyone else, they need to be held accountable for the harms they perpetrate on people and communities. The last thing they deserve is a liability shield, and we urge Congress to oppose and block any effort to help these companies evade accountability for their actions.”
"The gun industry wrote this playbook years ago, and we've witnessed the tragic consequences when corporations secure legal shields from accountability. What's at stake here isn't just who pays for climate disasters – it's whether our democracy allows powerful industries to simply rewrite the rules when justice catches up to them,” said Cassidy DiPaola, Communications Director, Make Polluters Pay. “The fossil fuel industry spent decades burying climate science while their products fueled the crisis. Now that the bill is coming due, they want taxpayers to cover their tab. Lawmakers must decisively reject any attempt by the fossil fuel industry to evade accountability and ensure both justice today and the right of future generations to hold polluters responsible for decades of deception.”
"As people around the country and world suffer from record-breaking global temperatures and unprecedented extreme weather events, the science is clear that burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of dangerous and deadly climate change,” said Kathy Mulvey, Climate Accountability Campaign Director at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Major oil and gas companies have understood for decades that their products could have catastrophic effects on people and the planet, yet they engaged in a long-term, deliberate disinformation campaign. Now, when there is growing momentum to make fossil fuel corporations begin to pay for the damage they have caused, policymakers must stand firm and protect their constituents against any attempts by the industry to evade accountability for its pollution, deception, and destruction."
"Working people are footing the bill for climate change. That's why a growing number of state and local governments are demanding that the oil and gas corporations that profit off causing the climate crisis — and mislead the public about it — start paying their fair share,” said Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay. “Congress needs to stand with working people — not Big Oil — and refuse to give immunity for oil and gas billionaires."
A copy of the letter is available here.
The 195 organizations that signed the letter are
Adirondack Voters for Change
ALIGN
All Our Energy
Allegheny County Clean Air Now
Alliance for Justice
Alliance of Maine Health Professionals for Climate Action
American Association for Justice
Americans for Financial Reform
Arizona Health Professionals for Climate Action
Better Future Project
Big Reuse
Bold Alliance
Breathe Project
Bronx River - Sound Shore Audubon
California Environmental Voters
Campaign for Renewable Energy
Capital District Community Energy
Community Advocates for a Sustainable Environment
Catholic Charities Tompkins/Tioga Justice & Peace Ministry
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Climate Change and Health
Center for Climate Integrity
Center for Justice & Democracy
Cherokee Concerned Citizens
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Church Women United in New York State
Citizen Action of New York
Citizens Climate Lobby - Brooklyn
Citizens Committee for Flood Relief
Clean Water Action
Clean, Healthy, Educated, Safe & Sustainable Community, Inc.
Clean+Healthy
Climate Changemakers
Climate Code Blue
Climate Equity Policy Center
Climate Families NYC
Climate Generation
Climate Hawks Vote
Climate Health Now
Climate Reality Project Chicago Metro Chapter
Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River, Inc.
Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island
Communitopia
Community Advocates for a Sustainable Environment
Concerned Health Professionals of New York
Consumer Federation of America
Consumer Watchdog
Corporate Accountability
Courage California
Damascus Citizens for Sustainability
Deep Green Resistance NYC
Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society
Don't Gas the Meadowlands Coalition
Earth Ethics, Inc.
Earthjustice
EcoEquity
Elders Climate Action
Elders Climate Action Mass
Empower New Jersey
Environmental Advocates NY
Extinction Rebellion US
Extreme Weather Survivors
Food & Water Watch
For Love of Water
For the Many
Fossil Free California
Fossil Free Tompkins
FrackBustersNY
Friends of the Clearwater
Friends of the Earth US
Gas Free Seneca
Gen-Z for Change
Grassroots Environmental Education
Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility
Green Ossining
GreenFaith
GreenLatinos
HabitatMap
Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate
Human Impact Partners
Impact Fund
Indivisible ADK/Saratoga
Indivisible Harlem
Indivisible Mohawk Valley Climate Crisis WG
Inner City Green Team
Jewish Climate Action Network, NYC
Jewish Climate Action Network, MA
Junta Comunitaria Pastillo Tibes Corp
Long Island Progressive Coalition
Maine Climate Action Now
Make Polluters Pay
Metro Justice
Micah Six Eight Mission
Michigan Climate Action Network
Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action
Middlefield Neighbors
Missouri River Bird Observatory
MN350
Mothers Out Front
Mothers* Rebellion Global
National Association of Consumer Advocates
National Consumers league
Natural Resources Defense Council
New Paltz Interfaith Earth Action
New York Communities for Change
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
New York Progressive Action Network
New Yorkers for Clean Power
North American Climate, Conservation and Environment
North Country Earth Action
North Shore Audubon Society
North Star Fund
NY Public Interest Research Group
NY State Council of Churches
NY-GEO
NYCD16/15 Indivisible
NYPAN Environmental Committee
Oil and Gas Action Network
Oil Change International
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
Park County Environmental Council
People for a Healthy Environment
Peoples Climate Movement - NY
Philadelphia Solar Energy Association
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Colorado
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Maine
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pennsylvania
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Texas
Progressive Schenectady
Public Citizen
Public Justice
Quaker Action Mid Atlantic Region
Ratepayer and Community Intervenors, Finger Lakes, NY
Reach Out America
ReAL Edgemere CLT
Reclaim Our Power
Regenerating Paradise
Rise Economy
Rising Sun Center for Opportunity
Rivers & Mountains GreenFaith
RPI Sunrise Movement
San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility
Sane Energy Project
Seneca Lake Guardian
Serpentine Art and Nature Commons
Sierra Club
Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter
Sisters of St Joseph of Rochester, Office of Justice and Care for Creation
Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, NY
Solarize Albany
South Bronx Unite
Stand.earth
Staten Island Urban Center
Stop NY Fracked Gas Pipeline
Sunrise Movement
SUNY New Paltz Environmental Task Force
Sustainable Finger Lakes
Take Action Advocacy Group
TakeAction Minnesota
The Climate Center
The Climate Reality Project New York Chapters Coalition
The Rachel Carson Council
Third Act
Third Act Lawyers
Third Act Massachusetts
Third Act Maryland
Third Act NYC
Third Act Upstate New York
Third Act Virginia
Three Rivers Waterkeeper
TIAA-Divest!
Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative
Ulster Activist
Union of Concerned Scientists
United For Clean Energy
United Muslim Alliance of Albany
Upper Nyack Green Committee
Vermont Natural Resources Council
Vermont Public Interest Research Group
Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Weber Sustainability Consulting
WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
Westchester for Change
Worcester Congregations for Climate and Environmental Justice
198 methods
350 Bay Area
350 Conejo / San Fernando Valley
350 Wisconsin
350Brooklyn
350Hawaii
350PDX
[END]
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