Every time a climate disaster hits we see the same story. Families lose homes, roads are washed out, and taxpayers foot the bill, all while oil and gas companies rake in profits. Fossil fuel corporations knew about the climate crisis for decades and continue to mislead the public. They’re getting richer off our tax dollars. Now, oil and gas lobbyists are urging Congress to give them total legal immunity.
Republican lawmakers have introduced federal legislation, Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026, that would shield oil and gas from any laws or lawsuits that aim to hold them accountable for their role in the climate crisis.
I’ve seen it firsthand. Across the country, communities like mine are struggling to rebuild after floods, wildfires, and extreme heat, all disasters made worse by fossil fuel pollution. As a resident of California, I am fully aware of how catastrophic and destructive the Los Angeles wildfires were in January 2025. Taxpayers are poised to foot the massive cost in damages, which is in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Instead of taxpayers shouldering the cost, the companies that profited from creating this mess would help fund the rebuilding of roads, homes, schools, and critical infrastructure. We must demand Congress protect our right to hold powerful corporations accountable and say no to immunity for Big Oil and Gas.
That’s why I’m calling on Congress to oppose the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026, Big Oil and Gas’s campaign for legal immunity. If you make a mess, you should clean it up.
Sydney Pitcher resides in Lemon Grove.
