No accountability: Bills would ban liability lawsuits for climate change

Republican lawmakers in multiple states and Congress are advancing bills to shield polluters from climate liability lawsuits and prevent accountability for climate change harms. The legislation comes as dozens of local communities, states, and individuals are currently suing major oil and gas companies and their trade associations over rising climate costs and for allegedly lying about climate change risks. Some states are simultaneously considering laws modeled after the federal Superfund program that would impose retroactive liability on large fossil fuel producers. The proposals represent the latest counter-offensive against climate accountability efforts that span from Congress and the White House to courts and state attorneys general offices nationwide. The bills would effectively block legal recourse for communities seeking compensation for climate damages even as these costs continue mounting.