Join Vermont & Hold Fossil Fuel Companies Accountable for Climate Damage

I am your constituent and I want you to know that Vermont has passed the world’s first law holding fossil fuel companies financially responsible for climate impacts. I'm calling on you to lead our state to join them! Vermont, which suffered major flooding in 2011 and again in summer 2023, recently passed America’s (and the world’s) first-ever “climate Superfund law,” holding fossil fuel companies financially responsible for a share of the damage from climate disasters! Modeled off the longstanding federal Superfund law which holds hazardous waste-releasing polluters financially responsible for the cleanup, Vermont’s new law directs the state government to compile a report by 2026 calculating the cost to Vermont of greenhouse gas emissions from 1995 through 2024, then use preexisting federal data to determine the amount of greenhouse gas emissions attributable to specific large fossil fuel companies. If the resulting fine holds up in court, funds could then be used for climate-resilience improvements to Vermont infrastructure, from stormwater drainage to public building weatherization. Notably, the original bill was carefully crafted to be legally robust, and the new law already commands widespread support. Even Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a moderate Republican, decided not to veto it, allowing it to become law. New York, Maryland, California, and Massachusetts all have similar superfund legislation underway. If U.S. states join together to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their atmospheric damage, this could seriously help speed up the global transition to clean energy. I'm calling on you to lead our state to join Vermont and the others with a Climate Superfund Law!