Big Oil want legal immunity. Oregon groups are saying NO.

Breach Collective is one of ninety organizations across Oregon and the country that are pushing back against the fossil fuel industry’s effort to secure a legal shield from Congress that would give them total legal immunity from any laws or lawsuits designed to hold them accountable for the climate crisis.

In a letter hand-delivered to Senator Merkley’s office today by Breach Collective, Food & Water Watch, Oregon Environmental Council, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, and Verde, on behalf of the 90 organizations, we sounded the alarm on Big Oil’s escalating push for immunity. Climate accountability lawsuits and legislative measures have proliferated nationwide, many of them targeting oil companies for knowingly deceiving the public about the dangers of fossil fuels while continuing to profit from them.

Here in Oregon, we have a direct stake in the maintaining access to this channel for accountability. Multnomah County is currently suing ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and other major fossil fuel companies over their role in fueling extreme weather events, like the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome, which killed 69 residents. Big Oil’s bid for legal immunity is a direct attempt to avoid responsibility from accountability efforts like this lawsuit, as well as the climate superfund policy that was introduced into Oregon’s legislature earlier this year but unfortunately didn’t make it out of committee.

Congress should not put the fossil fuel industry above the law. As extreme weather events like severe wildfires, droughts, floods, and deadly heat before more frequent and costly, communities need to retain access to legal and legislative tools to seek accountability from the corporations that are knowingly causing this crisis.

Oregon’s letter is part of a coordinated multi-state campaign urging federal leaders to reject any attempt to grant the fossil fuel industry special legal protections. Corporations cannot leave taxpayers to foot the bill for the costs that they’ve incurred by doing whatever they want while deceiving us.