Congress members oppose immunity for Big Oil

After Republican members of Congress introduced legislation that would shield Big Oil companies from any laws or lawsuits that would hold them accountable for their role in the climate crisis, a growing number of Democrats in the House and Senate are speaking out against the proposal.

S.4340, sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), and H.R.8330, sponsored by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY), were introduced following months of lobbying from the fossil fuel industry. The American Petroleum Institute, Big Oil’s top lobbying group, has said one of its chief legislative goals in 2026 is stopping all the climate deception lawsuits and climate superfund laws facing the industry.

Now that a bill has been introduced, here is what members of Congress are saying, as first reported by journalists Dana Drugmand and Keisha Clukey:   

Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY): "This bill would slam the door on holding fossil fuel polluters accountable and shift the burden onto New Yorkers. Polluters should pay for the climate damage they caused, not taxpayers."

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): “These companies are just taking a page out of Big Tobacco’s playbook—attempting to skirt regulation and stop us from bringing enforcement actions against their specific industry.”

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA): “Big Oil has long known of the danger it poses to our democracy and to our climate, and we need to protect our ability to hold these companies accountable. We shouldn’t be shielding Big Oil—we should be shielding communities from climate harm.”

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI): “In the United States alone, the fossil fuel industry enjoys a $700-plus-billion per year pollute-for-free subsidy, the biggest in world history. Now they want not just to pollute for free but to operate outside the civil law, free of consequences. Everyone should be disgusted.”

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD): “Republicans want to give Big Oil a license to pollute with impunity and leave it to taxpayers to pay the costs. This is exactly the kind of special-interest grift that the American people are sick of.”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY): "When big polluters put our nation at risk, they must be held accountable. This new legislation would shield big corporations while leaving the rest of us vulnerable to the disastrous climate, health and environmental ramifications that would follow."
 

Representative Mike Levin (D-CA): “The Stop Climate Shakedowns Act is a bailout for an entire industry that spent decades lying to the American public about the damage its products were causing. They funded the science to understand that damage, they saw the projections, they spent millions burying it, and now they want Congress to guarantee they never pay a dime for the consequences.”

Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY): “Once again, Republicans are prioritizing polluters over our planet and the well-being of the American people. Shielding Big Oil from facing accountability for the damage they have caused is a slap in the face to the very concept of justice and to the countless who have been harmed by the fossil fuel industry.” 

Representative Dan Goldman (D-NY): “Right now, 22 Republican state attorneys general from around the country are suing New York to overturn [climate superfund] legislation. Worse yet, Republicans in Congress are trying to pass a law that would preempt it, yet again trying to come to the defense of Big Oil. [...] We must stand up for the New York law that makes polluters pay for their pollution, not New York taxpayers.”
 

Representative Tom Suozzi (D-NY): "These [superfund] laws protect taxpayers, reinforce environmental responsibility, and ensure those who caused the damage help pay to fix it. We should be strengthening this approach — not rolling it back — and I will oppose any effort that shifts the burden onto taxpayers."

Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR): “Granting immunity to oil and gas companies is immoral and would further harm people across the country who are already burdened by surging electricity bills, higher property insurance, and unaffordable healthcare costs.”