Jay Inslee and 390 Groups Urge Democratic Leaders to Oppose Republican Proposal to Put Big Oil Above the Law; The ‘No Immunity for Big Oil’ Campaign Has Generated Tens of Thousands of Calls and Emails to Members of Congress
Press Releases
June 23, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee and representatives of the nationwide “No Immunity for Big Oil” campaign today will deliver more than 135,000 signatures and a letter signed by 390 organizations to the offices of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries that urge Members of Congress to reject legislative proposals to shield fossil fuel companies from accountability.
After a year of fossil fuel industry lobbying, House and Senate Republicans introduced legislation in April that aims to give oil and gas companies sweeping legal immunity from any laws or lawsuits targeting their role in the climate crisis.
Yesterday 10 U.S. governors sent their own letter urging Congress to reject the legislation.
Inslee, a former House member, sounded the alarm about this threat at a briefing for the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition earlier this year, before the bills were introduced. During his Hill visits today he will be accompanied by members of Extreme Weather Survivors, Fossil Free for Health, and Greenfaith.
The nationwide “No Immunity for Big Oil” campaign — a coalition of public interest, public health, faith, climate, and other groups — has been organizing efforts urging Congress to reject these proposals to put Big Oil above the law.
Today’s delivery to Members of Congress will include:
A national letter from 390 groups urging Democratic leaders “to protect our right to hold Big Oil accountable and reject any proposal that would shield fossil fuel companies from the legal and legislative efforts communities across the country are advancing to make polluters pay for the damage their climate lies and pollution has caused.”
Petitions signed by more than 135,000 members of the public, organized by Fossil Free Media, the Center for Climate Integrity, Sierra Club, Climate Reality, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Food and Watch Watch, Public Citizen, and others
Letters signed by hundreds of medical professionals and people of faith, respectively, that were organized by Fossil Free for Health and Greenfaith
More than 80,000 emails have also been sent to Members of Congress through a tool provided by Union of Concerned Scientists
More than 11,000 individual calls have been made through the No Immunity for Big Oil campaign
“The climate crisis is escalating every day and our communities across the country are bearing the brunt of the financial, environmental, and personal impacts,” the letter from 390 groups states. “As the costs worsen and extreme weather events become more commonplace, governments, businesses, community members, and others must retain access to legal and legislative tools to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the damage they knowingly caused.”
Background:
The oil and gas industry and its allies have been lobbying Congress and the Trump administration for more than a year for immunity from the growing number of laws and lawsuits that seek to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in the climate crisis. 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 laws and lawsuits is a top 2026 priority for the oil lobby. And a growing number of states have passed state-level laws that aim to shield fossil fuel companies from legal accountability. Recent reporting from ProPublica found those bills are "part of a coordinated effort by groups linked to right-wing activist Leonard Leo."
To learn more about the campaign, visit NoImmunityforBigOil.org.