By Alexandra Isham, Alliance Intern from Ohio State University ‘25
Vermont is on the verge of making history with the Climate Superfund Act. This groundbreaking initiative would hold Big Oil companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron financially responsible for the environmental devastation and catastrophic floods that hit Vermont last year, costing lives and hundreds of millions in damages. This Act would require corporations to pay billions for climate change cleanup in Vermont. Those who create the problem should be responsible for fixing it – something Big Oil has avoided for far too long, according to Care2.
While Vermont’s proposed legislation is a crucial step forward, other states should follow their lead and hold companies responsible for substantial greenhouse gas emissions to bear the costs of extreme weather damage, rather than passing the burden on to taxpayers. States such as NY, CA, MD and MA are already considering similar actions. Join the Alliance in signing this Care2 petition to demand that your state follows Vermont’s lead in implementing a Climate Superfund Act!