House Republicans are looking to upend a District of Columbia lawsuit that seeks to force oil and gas companies to pay for the cost of dealing with climate change.
Under a 2026 spending bill, Washington’s government would be prevented from spending money to “enforce provisions of the Consumer Protection Act against oil and gas companies for environmental claims.”
The district is suing the fossil fuel industry under its Consumer Protection Procedures Act. A D.C. Superior Court judge in April rejected efforts by the oil and gas industry to dismiss the case, bringing it closer to trial.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) criticized the House Appropriations Committee’s Financial Services-General Government bill, which she said contains an “outrageous” number of provisions that violate the city’s authority to govern itself.
