Press Releases
September 14, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Judiciary Committee will hold a markup on Wednesday, September 16, on legislation that aims to give Big Oil companies broad immunity from any laws or lawsuits seeking to hold them accountable for their role in the climate crisis. The proposal, H.R. 8330, is sponsored by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) and 20 other House Republicans. Its Senate companion bill, S. 4340, is sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and three other Senate Republicans .
The House Judiciary Committee will consider the bill less than three weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Big Oil’s arguments to escape trial in one of dozens of climate deception lawsuits the companies face.
This summer, more than 390 groups and 135,000 members of the public urged members of Congress to reject the proposed legislation as part of the nationwide “No Immunity for Big Oil” campaign. Ten U.S. governors, 21 state attorneys general and local officials, and the National Association of Counties have also voiced their opposition. House Judiciary Democrats, in a statement from Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), have pledged to “defeat” the measures, which Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and a growing number of Democrats have publicly opposed.
Recent polling shows 73% of Democrats, 71% of Independents, and 53% of Republicans oppose shielding oil and gas companies from being held accountable for climate damages.
Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, said:
“After Americans just endured another summer of climate disasters costing taxpayers billions, the Big Oil companies fueling the climate crisis and raking in record profits are racing to escape accountability. No industry should be above the law — especially one that has lied to the American people for decades about its dangerous products. If Big Oil companies have done nothing wrong and the current law is on their side, as they’re arguing in court, then why do they need immunity from Congress?”
Background on U.S. Climate Accountability Lawsuits Against Big Oil:
Eleven U.S. states — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai`i, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont — and the District of Columbia, along with dozens of city, county, and tribal governments in California, Colorado, Hawai`i, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Puerto Rico, have active lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ role in climate change. These cases collectively represent more than 1 in 4 people living in the United States.
On October 5, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a case from Boulder, Colorado. Boulder is one of a growing number of communities across the U.S. — including Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, the District of Columbia, and the states of Massachusetts, Vermont, Minnesota and Connecticut — whose climate deception lawsuits against Big Oil companies are advancing toward discovery and trial after courts denied the companies’ motions to dismiss.
Background on Big Oil’s push for immunity
The oil and gas industry and its allies have been lobbying Congress and the Trump administration for more than a year to escape accountability. Last year, 16 Republican attorneys general proposed creating a “liability shield” for fossil fuel companies modeled on a 2005 law protecting gun manufacturers from lawsuits. In January, the American Petroleum Institute announced that killing state climate lawsuits is a top 2026 priority for the oil lobby.
A growing number of states have passed state-level laws that aim to shield fossil fuel companies from legal accountability, which ProPublica reported are “part of a coordinated effort by groups linked to right-wing activist Leonard Leo.” The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) approved a model bill in August that would provide fossil fuel companies with a “liability shield” and “immunity from climate change claims.”