The Oklahoma legislature is close to enacting a proposal to protect oil and gas companies from being sued over climate change lawsuits.
HB1439, authored by Rep. Anthony Moore and Sen. Julie Daniels, won approval in the House Energy committee Wednesday on a 9-3 vote.
Rep. Moore told the committee it’s designed to put an end to some of the climate change suits filed against fossil fuel companies in the state.
“But the reality is, in this scenario, if you file a lawsuit and you obtain a judgment, someone tomorrow could then file the same lawsuit and go try to get the same judgment, and over, and over, and over. And it’s just a cyclical, never-ending cycle. And the world’s economy, without oil and gas, I mean, we’re back at the Stone Ages.”
He said if the climate change lawsuits were allowed, it would result in not one, but two giant, giant multiple leaps back.
“I’ve said it in this room, the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma are the worldwide leaders in technology in reducing emissions and trying to be good stewards of what we’ve got, because they understand it’s not good for them, for us to have negative effects. And so they’re actually leading the way. We’re not gonna make it worse on them by allowing them to be subject to these frivolous lawsuits.”
The bill stated that it is designed:
1. To prohibit causes of action against those who lawfully
produce, manufacture, and sell fossil fuels and their trade
associations, when this highly regulated product functions as
designed and intended;
2. To preserve lawful access to affordable, clean, and reliable
fossil fuels which increase the productive capacity of this state and thereby bolster economic growth and its downstream benefits
including, but not limited to, a tax base, jobs, and increased
worker access to health care and housing; and
3. To prevent the use of lawsuits that seek the imposition of
unreasonable burdens on the commerce of fossil fuels.
It also clarified which fossil fuel firms would be covered.
““Covered civil liability action” means any civil action or
proceeding, including any administrative proceeding, brought by a
person or trade association against a manufacturer, producer,
transporter, or seller of covered product for legal or equitable
relief of any kind arising out of or resulting from the production,
manufacture, transportation, marketing, sale, or use of covered
product and such action or proceeding arises out of or relates to,
or seeks relief of any kind arising out of or relating to, climate
change, the alleged effects of climate change, or greenhouse
emissions.”
The bill had won earlier approval in the State Senate on a 40-7 vote taken March 10 of this year. It now heads back to the House Energy and Natural Resources Oversight committee.
Below is the listing of the vote taken Wednesday.
YEAS: 9
Archer Bashore Lepak Lowe
Luttrell May Moore Roberts
Tedford
NAYS: 3
Deck Hefner Waldron