Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC - Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee will markup H.R. 8330, a bill that would shield fossil fuel companies from laws or lawsuits that would hold them accountable for their role in the climate crisis and related disasters.
Fossil fuel corporations knew they were causing climate change in the 1950s and spent millions of dollars to mislead the public. A recent study found that climate costs for the U.S. economy will exceed $1 trillion this year.
Similar dangerous bills have been passed or introduced in Republican-led states across the country, where elected officials are working to protect donors and corporate executives in the oil and gas industry. Earlier this year, Utah became the first state to sign a fossil fuel immunity bill into law.
Sierra Club issued the following statements in response to today’s markup:
Sierra Club Director of Beyond Fossil Fuels Policy Mahyar Sorour said: “The Republicans behind this bill want to hand an entire industry blanket legal immunity for wrongdoing while forcing their own constituents to foot the bill for the damage. Communities across the United States are still struggling to recover from increasingly deadly and destructive fossil fueled climate disasters, even as Congress keeps slashing disaster relief and climate resiliency funding. Every member of Congress who actually works for the people in their districts, not the multi-trillion dollar Big Oil and Gas industry, should vote against giving fossil fuel companies a free pass.”
Sierra Club Vermont Chapter Director Robb Kidd said: “Vermonters know firsthand the damage caused by climate pollution. Erratic weather patterns are causing floods, extreme heat, and variable snowfall that is damaging Vermont's economy and Vermonters' livelihoods. The fossil fuel industry has known for decades that their products were causing climate change; time is up for them to pay up."
Sierra Club Colorado Chapter Director Margaret Kran-Annexstein said: “The question really is, will our elected members of Congress side with their constituents or with multi-billion-dollar corporations? Coloradans have experienced a record-breaking drought, extreme heat, and wildfires in the last four months alone. It's time Congress shows us that they support the everyday people and communities that the costs of these disasters are currently falling back on and side with common sense and the rule of law. If you make a mess, you clean it up. It’s time for accountability, not immunity.”
Sierra Club California Chapter Director Miguel Miguel said: “Californians are dealing with the climate crisis in real time, from devastating wildfires and deadly extreme heat to worsening drought and skyrocketing costs of property insurance and disaster clean up. Frontline communities are paying the price for an industry that knew the consequences of its pollution decades ago. Congress should be making sure fossil fuel companies are held accountable for the damage they have caused, instead some Republicans want to give them a legal shield to avoid responsibility altogether. We deserve better than another taxpayer handout to Big Oil and Gas.”
Sierra Club Texas Chapter Director Dave Cortez said: “Now is the time for Texas congressmembers to prove whether they work for the oil and gas industry and its billionaire CEOs, or their constituents. Texans are facing the worst impacts of the climate crisis - record heat, unprecedented extreme weather, and worsening air quality just to name a few. As one of the world's leaders in the energy economy, Texas must also set an example for accountability. Our scarce water and energy resources are already being sucked dry by the fossil fuel industry, and now they want to shirk responsibility for the lives Texas has lost and the damages our communities have suffered. Our members know Texas deserves better, and we’re going to fight for it.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.