March 30, 2026

Re: No Immunity for Big Oil

To the following members of Illinois’ congressional delegation:

Senator Tammy Duckworth

Senator Dick Durbin

Representative Jonathan Jackson

Representative Robin Kelly

Representative Delia Ramirez

Representative Jesus Garcia

Representative Mike Quigley

Representative Sean Casten

Representative Danny K. Davis

Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi

Representative Jan Schakowsky

Representative Brad Schneider

Representative Bill Foster

Representative Nikki Budzinski

Representative Lauren Underwood

Representative Eric Sorensen

As Chicago, Illinois, and other communities across the country are taking Big Oil companies to court for lying to the public about the climate harms of their products, we are alarmed by reports that the fossil fuel industry is trying to secure a legal liability waiver that would block communities from attempts to hold them accountable. The American Petroleum Institute — the largest oil and gas trade association in the country and a defendant in Chicago’s lawsuit — has announced that stopping “abusive state climate lawsuits” against fossil fuel companies is a top priority for the industry this year.^[1] The statement follows reports from the Wall Street Journal^[2] and the New York Times^[3] that highlighted fossil fuel lobbyists’ push for Congress to pass legislation giving the oil industry immunity from climate litigation, effectively denying access to the courts for anyone seeking to hold the industry accountable.

We’re urging you to protect our right to hold Big Oil accountable and reject any proposal that would shield fossil fuel companies from the legal and legislative efforts communities across the country are advancing to make polluters pay for the damage their climate lies have caused.

The mounting threat of climate change is being felt first-hand in Illinois as heat waves, worsening floods, storms, and other extreme weather events devastate communities throughout the state, saddling everyday Americans and local governments with skyrocketing costs to recover, respond, and adapt to the growing crisis. The record-breaking extreme weather events walloping our communities with increasing frequency and intensity are a result of fossil fuel pollution enabled for decades by Big Oil companies and their coordinated campaign of climate deception. Oil and gas companies have known for decades that their products posed “potentially catastrophic” risk to the climate — but instead of disclosing this knowledge, they chose to run a historic and ongoing campaign to deceive the public, protect their profits, and delay our transition to cleaner and cheaper energy.^[4] 

Chicago is already pursuing climate accountability by taking ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, and other oil majors to court over their “tobacco-industry-style campaigns to deceive and mislead the public about the damaging nature of their fossil fuel products.”^[5] State lawmakers also introduced a climate superfund bill this year that would require the largest privately-owned climate polluters to help pay for the growing costs to protect public infrastructure from climate-fueled damages.^[6] These critical efforts are currently under massive threat.

State bills aimed at blocking communities from pursuing any accountability measures against the fossil fuel industry have already been introduced in Utah and Oklahoma.^[7] U.S. House Representative Harriet Hageman from Wyoming recently announced that she is working with House and Senate colleagues to craft federal legislation aimed at “tackling” climate accountability lawsuits and climate superfund bills.^[8] Sixteen Republican attorneys general have called for a legal liability shield for Big Oil modeled after the 2005 law that granted legal immunity to gun manufacturers.^[9] A Congressional appropriations bill introduced last year included language that would prohibit the District of Columbia from using any funds to enforce its consumer protection laws “against oil and gas companies for environmental claims,” clearly targeting D.C.’s ongoing climate accountability lawsuit against ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, and other oil majors.^[10] Additionally, after fossil fuel CEOs met with President Trump last year to raise their concern about the growing wave of accountability efforts, the U.S. Justice Department filed intimidation and retaliation lawsuits against states for efforts to hold polluters accountable for their climate lies and the resulting damages.^[11]

The climate crisis is escalating every day and our communities across the country are bearing the brunt of the financial, environmental, and personal impacts. As the costs worsen and extreme weather events become more commonplace, governments, businesses, community members, and others must retain access to legal and legislative tools to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the damage they knowingly caused.

There are many ongoing fights to protect justice, democracy, and fundamental rights that demand your attention — and we thank you for fighting to keep our communities’ rights intact. If we do not also protect Americans’ right to hold bad actors accountable in court, we will be handing Big Oil a get-out-of-jail-free card.

We, the undersigned organizations and elected officials, respectfully urge you in the strongest possible terms to fight for climate accountability and our communities’ access to the courts, and draw a line in firm opposition to any Congressional efforts to bail out climate polluters from facing legal and legislative consequences for their role in fueling the climate crisis.

Thank you for standing on the side of justice and accountability. 

Sincerely,

350 Chicago

Accelerate Climate Solutions

AFGE Local 704

Chicago Wilderness Alliance

Climate Reality Chicago Metro Chapter

Faith in Place Action Fund

Go Green Wilmette

Illinois Clinicians for Climate Action

Illinois Environmental Council

Illinois People's Action

Interfaith Green Network, Oak Park/River Forest

It’s Our Future

Metro East Green

Oak Park Climate Action Network

Open Lands

Prairie State Conservation Coalition

Respiratory Health Association

Save Our Illinois Land

Seven Generations Ahead

The Electric Home Company

The People’s Lobby

Third Act Illinois

Windfree Solar

WindSolarUSA, Inc

Women For Green Spaces

Working Family Solidarity

Graciela Guzman, State Senator, 20th District

Lilian Jimenez, State Representative, 4th District

Kelly Cassidy, State Representative, 14th District

Leader Robyn Gabel, State Representative, 18th District

Theresa Mah, State Representative, 24th District

Will Guzzardi, State Representative, 39th District

Mary Beth Canty, State Representative, 54th District

Norma Hernandez, State Representative, 77th District

Dagmara Avelar, State Representative, 85th District

Carol Ammons, State Representative, 103rd District

Bridget Degnen, Cook County Commissioner

Maria Hadden, 49th Ward Alderman, Chairwoman of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy

Matthew Martin, 47th Ward Alderman

Derek Eder, Oak Park Village Trustee

198 methods

350 Network Council

Alaska Wilderness League

Amazon Watch

Amnesty International USA

Animals Are Sentient Beings, Inc

Between the Waters

Bold Alliance

Center for Biological Diversity

Center for Climate Integrity

Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)

Center for Oil & Gas Organizing

Climate Defenders

Climate Defense Project

Climate Hawks Vote

Climate Reality Project

Corporate Accountability

Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action

Earthjustice Action

Elders Climate Action

Elected Officials to Protect America

Endangered Species Coalition

Extreme Weather Survivors

Food & Water Watch

Fossil Free Media

Fridays for Future USA

Friends of the Earth Action

GreenLatinos

Greenpeace USA

Health in Partnership

Health Resources in Action

Healthy Ocean Coalition

Hip Hop Caucus

Institute for Policy Studies Climate Policy Program

Lead Locally

League of Conservation Voters

Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health

Medical Students for a Sustainable Future (MS4SF)

Methane Action

Native Organizers Alliance

Natural Resources Defense Council

Ocean Defense Initiative

Oil and Gas Action Network

Oil Change International

Oncology Advocates United for Climate and Health,  International (OUCH-Int'l)

Our Revolution

Physicians for Social Responsibility

Prevention Institute

Progressives for Climate

Public Citizen

Rogan’s List

Sierra Club

Stand.Earth

Sunrise Movement

The YEARS Project

Third Act

Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community

WildEarth Guardians

Youth Climate Finance Alliance (YCFA)