The response to the efforts of several states to hold the oil and gas industry responsible for climate change was stalled last week in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee which adjourned without marking up the so-called “Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026.”
The bill, introduced last spring by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) is also known as H.R. 8330, and would “prohibit liability against those engaged in the mining, extraction, production, refinement, transportation, distribution, marketing, manufacture, or sale of energy for damages or injunctive or other relief.” While it had the support of several House members who were co-sponsors, none were from Oklahoma.
The adjournment was being hailed as a victory by groups who belonged to the ‘No Immunity for Big Oil’ coalition. They had urged Committee members to oppose what they called a “dangerous proposal to put Big Oil above the law.”
Iyla Shornstein is the political director of the Center for Climate Integrity.
“This fight is far from over but today is a victory for those who agree that no industry should be above the law. Thank you to the Members of Congress who were prepared to oppose this bill and to the communities across the country who continue to stand up and fight back against Big Oil’s desperate push to escape accountability for their climate lies and the harm they’ve caused.”
Eleven states have active lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ role in climate change.
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a case from Boulder, Colorado on October 5. The city and county filed suit against Suncor Energy in 2018. Boulder had sued ExxonMobil and Suncor for damages to cover the costs of adapting to climate-related extreme heat and wildfires.
Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on Oct. 5. In 2018, Boulder sued ExxonMobil and Suncor for damages to cover the costs of adapting to climate-related extreme heat and wildfires. Last year, the Colorado Supreme Court said the case could move to trial—a decision that Exxon and Suncor are now challenging in the country’s top court. The companies argue that federal rather than state law should cover greenhouse gas emissions.
Rep. Hageman’s bill contends that linking fossil fuel emissions to climate-related disasters lacks “scientific credibility”—a claim contradicted by decades of scientific research. If made law, it would give fossil fuel companies broad immunity from lawsuits stemming from these events.
A companion bill introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and three fellow Senate Republicans would similarly thwart lawsuits against the industry on the same basis. Both Wyoming and Texas are major fossil fuel-producing states.
