Nearly 200 Groups Call on Democratic Leaders to Oppose Immunity for the Fossil Fuel Industry

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