Republicans Push “Climate Shakedown” Bill to Shield Big Oil from Climate Accountability

Republicans in Congress, led by Representative Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), have introduced the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act, a brazen piece of legislation designed to give the fossil fuel industry a permanent “get out of jail free card” from climate liability. The bill would bar new climate lawsuits from being filed in any court and require all pending suits to be dismissed immediately. It would also overturn state “polluter pays” laws, which the bill dismissively calls “energy penalty laws,” and declare that regulation of greenhouse gases is exclusively a federal matter.

This move follows a pattern set by the Trump administration, which in 2025 issued an executive order directing the Department of Justice to sue states like New York and Vermont to block their climate accountability laws. The DOJ also filed preemptive suits against Michigan and Hawai'i, though those were later dismissed. Now, Republicans are taking Big Oil’s legal shield to the next level by codifying immunity into federal law.

The fossil fuel industry and its political allies have been mounting an aggressive campaign to block accountability. The American Petroleum Institute (API) has identified stopping “extreme climate liability policy” as a top priority for 2026, spending months lobbying Congress on legislation to protect polluters. Major oil companies like ConocoPhillips have also lobbied on similar bills.

API and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers praised Cruz and Hageman’s bill, claiming it protects “American energy” and prevents a “patchwork” of state laws that they say would raise consumer costs. This comes amid a fossil fuel energy crisis intensified by Trump’s conflict with Iran, which has driven up fuel prices while oil giants rake in massive profits.

Environmental advocates are furious. Mahyar Sorour of Sierra Club’s Beyond Fossil Fuels policy called the bill a “shakedown” that lets polluters off the hook while communities suffer climate damage. Jason Rylander, legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, condemned the bill as a “despicable attempt” to grant Big Oil complete legal immunity for fueling the climate emergency and harming wildlife and people across the country.

Several Republican-led states have already passed laws shielding fossil fuel companies from climate liability, including Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Iowa. The Department of Justice continues to sue states like Minnesota to block their climate fraud cases.

Democratic lawmakers have begun speaking out against the bill. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts called it a dangerous attempt to shield Big Oil while communities bear the brunt of climate harm. He likened the industry’s tactics to Big Tobacco’s historic efforts to evade regulation and accountability.

This bill is more than just a legal maneuver—it’s a direct attack on the ability of states and communities to seek justice for the escalating climate crisis. As fossil fuel companies profit off disaster, Republicans in Congress are racing to lock in protections that would let them off the hook forever. The stakes could not be higher for the future of the planet and democracy itself.