Climate Superfund Bills Stall as Red States Shield Fossil Fuels

Democratic state lawmakers trying to force polluters to pay for climate damage are struggling to push accountability legislation over the finish line. Their counterparts in a handful of conservative states, meanwhile, are enacting laws to protect the fossil fuel industry against future challenges.

Around a dozen states proposed bills during their most recent legislative sessions that would either require polluters to pay for their past emissions, study the idea, or make it easier for the insurance industry to sue fossil fuel companies for damages. Most of those bills stalled or died during legislative sessions, often not making it out of ...