Public backs climate Superfund bills while oil lobby blocks them in Oregon and beyond

Oregon’s legislature will soon debate a massive climate-Superfund proposal intended to tap taxpayer money for wildfire mitigation, a cost surge linked to climate change. The concept mirrors the federal Superfund program, seeking to force the world’s biggest emitters—companies like Exxon Mobil, Chevron and roughly 50 other fossil-fuel and cement producers—to fund damages. Testimony gathered by Brown University’s Climate and Development Lab shows public backing for such bills across twelve states, with supportive comments outnumbering opposition about three to one, especially in California and Oregon.

Nevertheless, organized industry groups—including the National Federation of Independent Business (partly funded by Koch Industries), the American Chemistry Council and the Western States Petroleum Association—have submitted extensive behind-the-scenes lobbying and written opposition. Retiring state Senator Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, recalled hearing emotional pleas from youths and detailed analyses from Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, only to face lobbyists warning of “much higher” energy costs without providing data.

While the Oregon bills died in committee, similar measures in New York and Vermont remain stalled after lawsuits from states and the American Petroleum Institute, with a recent federal judge ruling against New York’s law. Advocates warn that without a polluter-pays mechanism, Oregon taxpayers will continue to shoulder escalating climate-related expenses.