A Republican lawmaker in a third state has introduced legislation to protect oil and gas companies from lawsuits that seek compensation for the costs of climate change.
Louisiana Rep. Brett Geymann has filed a bill that would “limit liability for emissions of greenhouse gases” and “protect energy producers and related industries.” Any state-level legal claims related to greenhouse gas emissions, the proposed legislation said, would be preempted by federal law.
Geymann’s proposal follows similar legislation that is working its way through statehouses in Utah and Oklahoma.
Utah’s proposal — which would prevent people from being held liable for injuries from climate change, unless a court finds they violated the law — has cleared the state House and Senate and is awaiting the governor’s signature. In Oklahoma, a bill that would bar lawsuits that “seek the imposition of unreasonable burdens on the commerce of fossil fuels” has cleared the Senate Energy Committee.
