Press Releases
July 7, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Millions of Americans sweltered under extreme heat across the Eastern United States over the holiday weekend, breaking high temperature records and contributing to at least 25 heat-related deaths. Scientists at World Weather Attribution have said the recent heatwave was “virtually impossible” without climate change, which Big Oil companies have been knowingly fueling for decades.
The heatwave comes as large oil and gas corporations face a growing number of lawsuits from state and local governments over their decades of climate deception and its resulting damages, and from the family of a woman who was one of the hundreds of people who died in the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome.
Washington, D.C. hit 102 degrees July 2, breaking a 128-year-old record. New York City was still 94 degrees at midnight on July 3, setting a record for its highest overnight temperature. Atlantic City reached 106 degrees on July 4.
Richard Wiles, President of the Center for Climate Integrity, released the following statement:
“These deadly heatwaves aren’t natural disasters; Big Oil knew decades ago that their products would warm the atmosphere and fuel more extreme weather that communities are suffering from today. But instead of warning the public about the lethal impacts of their products, Big Oil lied and deliberately accelerated the problem. Everyday Americans are paying the price for oil companies’ deception through rising costs and unnecessary deaths of friends and family. It’s time for accountability.”
Background on U.S. Climate Accountability Lawsuits Against Big Oil:
Eleven attorneys general — in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico — and dozens of city, county, and tribal governments in California, Colorado, Hawai`i, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, and Puerto Rico, have filed 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.
But Big Oil is lobbying hard to escape accountability, kill the existing cases and prevent any future attempts to make them pay their fair share of the growing costs of climate change. House and Senate Republicans introduced legislation in April that aims to give oil and gas companies sweeping legal immunity. Multiple states have advanced similar legislation at the state level — part of a coordinated effort by conservative activist Lenoard Leo, according to reporting from Propublica.
Last month former Washington Governor Jay Inslee and representatives of the nationwide “No Immunity for Big Oil” campaign delivered more than 135,000 signatures and a letter signed by 390 organizations to Democratic leadership urging them to stop the industry’s effort to escape accountability. Ten US governors have similarly weighed in against Big Oil immunity, saying that states should have the right to protect their citizens and seek justice when they are harmed.