Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
States Expand Climate Superfund Bills
Coverage from Inside Climate News, Canary Media, and others
Articles
10
Latest Article
03/31
Active Days
69
Executive Summary
States are advancing climate superfund bills to make major fossil fuel companies help pay for flood, fire and resilience costs as federal opposition grows.
- Illinois plans to introduce climate superfund bills in 2026 to recover climate-related costs from fossil fuel companies
- Several states including New York, Vermont, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Connecticut are pursuing similar laws
- The bills would tally recovery and resilience expenses and assign payment shares to major fossil fuel suppliers
- Supporters cite the federal Superfund precedent, Carbon Majors data and attribution science to support liability claims
- The Trump administration and industry groups oppose the laws and have sued New York and Vermont
- Opponents argue the measures are preempted by federal law and could raise consumer prices
- Advocates say rising disaster costs, insurance premiums and public health expenses justify the polluter pays approach
Quick Facts
- What: Climate superfund bills seek polluter payments
- Where: Multiple US states including Illinois and California
- Why: Rising climate disaster costs strain taxpayers and budgets
- Who: State lawmakers advocates and fossil fuel companies
- When: 2024 through 2026 legislative sessions
Coverage Timeline: 69 Days
Featured Article
Oregon lawmakers consider Climate Superfund bill to fund disaster response via penalties on fossil fuel companies.
Additional Articles
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Illinois legislators plan in 2026 to introduce state climate superfund bills in Springfield and Chicago, aiming to recover growing climate-related costs from fossil fuel companies.
State legislatures across multiple US states advanced climate superfund bills in 2024-2025 to recover flood and resilience costs from fossil fuel companies amid federal legal challenges.
In 2024 in California, lawmakers unveiled climate Superfund and insurance recovery bills to shift wildfire and disaster costs onto major fossil fuel companies.
⭐⭐⭐
Maine lawmakers advanced LD 1870 in Senate 19-13 and House 75-72 votes to require a greenhouse gas emissions cost study before action by Gov. Janet Mills.
Hawai‘i lawmakers debate 2026 House action on Senate Bill 1166 to enable insurer recovery from fossil fuel firms for disaster payouts attributed to climate change.
Illinois lawmakers introduced a Climate Change Superfund Act in January requiring oil and gas firms to pay a resilience fund with EPA liability apportionment rules.
Connecticut lawmakers propose climate superfund to fund adaptation via fossil fuel liability in Hartford.
⭐️⭐️
Maine lawmakers advanced a climate superfund bill out of a legislative committee to fund coastal damage costs by fossil fuel emitters.
Oregon lawmakers reintroduce climate superfund bill in the 2026 session in Salem to require major emitters to pay damages for climate related disasters.