Polluters Will Pay in New Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) introduced the National Resilience and Recovery Fund Act (Polluters Pay Act) that would establish a new trust fund in the tax code called the “National Resilience and Recovery Fund” with funds from taxes levied on corporate polluters who, for too long, have used legal loopholes to skirt their responsibilities. 

 The co-leads for this legislation are Rep. Blumenauer (OR-03), Rep. Khanna (CA-17), Rep. Omar (MN-05), and Rep. Balint (VT-AL). The 0riginal cosponsors are Rep. Grijalva (AZ-07), Rep. Ocasio Cortez (NY-14), and Rep. Huffman (CA-02). Endorsing organizations include the League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, Friends of Earth, Oil Change International. 

 This Polluters Pay legislation - The National Resilience and Recovery Fund Act –will close those loopholes and tax windfall profits made by price gouging consumers to fund federal community resilience projects and programs across the country. 

See photos from the press conference here. 

Read the bill here.  

"The climate crisis is real and worsening. Every community is now at risk because of the greed of corporate polluters,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01). “Corporate polluters not individual taxpayers should be the ones responsible for paying the costs. Let’s close these egregious loopholes and tackle the rampant price gouging of American consumers so all our communities are more resilient in the face of this crisis.”

“Corporate greed is exploiting our communities, our health, and our future,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ-07). “Industry polluters should be paying for the damage they cause, not profiting off of it. It’s long past time for us to start holding these companies accountable — putting a stop to their price gouging and making them pay their fair share in taxes is a welcome start.” 

“For far too long, corporate polluters have reaped massive profits while devastating our communities, particularly low-income and communities of color who bear the brunt of environmental injustice,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05). “By taxing windfall profits and closing corporate tax loopholes, we're sending a clear message that corporate greed will no longer come at the expense of our planet and our people.” 

“I represent a state that’s on the frontlines of climate change. In Vermont, there’s no denying the climate crisis because we experience it every year. It’s our new normal,” said Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL). “We’re calling on the country’s biggest polluters, biggest contributors to climate change, to pay for their damages. It’s common sense. I’m proud to support this federal Polluters Pay legislation, an accountability tool which has already passed in Vermont. We need this funding for every American because the climate crisis touches every congressional district. The burden must be on the polluting corporations who rake in billions in profits each year — not on individual consumers. We can no longer afford to let them take advantage of our tax code and evade responsibility to protect our planet. They must pay.”

“Climate disasters are wreaking havoc on communities across the country, yet the corporations driving this crisis continue to evade accountability,” said Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02). “We must hold polluters accountable by ensuring they bear the financial burden of contributing to the resilience and recovery of the communities they’ve harmed, rather than leaving taxpayers to shoulder the costs of their environmental destruction. It is crucial that Congress delivers a much-needed dose of fairness and justice while building a stronger, more sustainable future for all."

The lawmakers want to establish a new trust fund in the tax code called the “National Resilience and Recovery Fund” with monies from taxes levied on these corporations- who for too long have used legal loopholes to skirt their responsibilities. This trust fund will ensure every community has the support it needs for recovery and resiliency efforts. It will direct those revenues to a fund which contributes to federal community resilience projects and programs across the country. 

In 2024 so far, there have been 400 total climate disasters resulting in almost $3 trillion dollars’ worth of damage. However, it’s taxpayers not corporate polluters on the hook for the cost of these disasters. Polluters who have contributed to the climate crisis should be the ones responsible for paying the costs.  

This will ensure that those responsible for the climate crisis are responsible for the costs of preparing communities, not taxpayers. 

Statements of support are below:

“Corporate polluters have operated under the assumption that they can rake in profits without ever being held responsible for their part in the climate crisis. As communities grapple with more and worse disasters driven by extreme weather, it’s about time Big Oil and Gas companies are expected to help rebuild and repair the damage caused by their business activities,” said Mahyar Sorour, Sierra Club’s Director of Beyond Fossil Fuels Policy. “We are grateful for the leadership of Rep. Melanie Stansbury in ensuring fossil fuel companies contribute a fair share in cleaning up their mess. We hope this is just the beginning of making polluters pay.”

“Big Polluters have refused to take responsibility for the damage they have done to our climate and communities despite knowing the harms of fossil fuels for decades. We applaud Representative Stansbury along with Representatives Blumenauer, Khanna, Omar, and Balint for leading on the National Resilience and Recovery Fund Act,” said Matthew Davis, Vice President of Federal Policy for the League of Conservation Voters. “This legislation would ensure Big Polluters foot the bill for critical investments to help mitigate the impacts of fossil-fueled extreme weather and combat environmental injustice, especially in communities of color and communities with low wealth that have been most harmed by fossil fuel development. Now more than ever, we need action to hold Big Polluters accountable, protect our communities, and build climate resilience.”

“Americans are sick of paying the price for the fossil fuel industry’s profits,” said Jamie Henn, spokesperson for Make Polluters Pay. “Even my three-year-old knows that when you make a mess, you’ve got to help clean it up. Oil and gas companies have known for decades that their product was fueling the climate crisis, and it’s past time they were held accountable for the damage. This is exactly the type of legislation we need to help make polluters pay.” 

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