Bill Would Block Funds for DC Climate Lawsuit Against Big Oil

Members of Congress are attempting to block the District of Columbia from using federal funds to enforce its consumer protection laws “against oil and gas companies for environmental claims” in a newly released U.S. House appropriations bill. The legislation comes as the oil and gas industry has been lobbying Congress for legal protections against dozens of lawsuits that seek to hold ExxonMobil and other oil companies accountable for deceiving the public about how their products’ harm the climate.

The District’s 2020 lawsuit against Exxon, Chevron, BP, and Shell argues that the companies violated D.C.’s consumer protection law by engaging in misleading acts and practices around the marketing, promotion, and sale of fossil fuel products. In April, a court rejected the Big Oil companies’ motions to dismiss the case, bringing it one step closer to trial.

In June, 16 Republican attorneys general asked U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to help erect a “liability shield” for fossil fuel companies against climate lawsuits. Among its tactics, the attorneys general recommended that the federal government “Restrict federal funding for ‘States that seek to impose liability on, or require payment from, energy companies for climate change[.]’”

Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, released the following statement:

“The fossil fuel industry and its allies are trying to kill any and all lawsuits that would hold Big Oil companies accountable for their climate lies and the damage they’ve caused — and this assault on D.C.’s ability to enforce its own consumer protection laws is part of their playbook. No industry should be above the law, especially one as powerful and harmful as Big Oil. Members of Congress must reject this underhanded attempt to help Big Oil escape accountability and protect access to the courts for every community.”

Background on U.S. Climate Accountability Lawsuits Against Big Oil:

Ten U.S. states — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai`i, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont — and the District of Columbia, along with 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. Last year, the attorney general of Michigan announced plans to take fossil fuel companies to court.