Senator Scott Wiener reintroduced legislation to authorize civil lawsuits against oil companies and other “responsible parties” for damages from climate change. SB 982, introduced on February 5, 2026, would authorize the state attorney general to bring a civil action against a responsible party for “climate-attributable damage.” SB 982 is a revised successor to SB 222, which was introduced in 2025.
SB 982 would authorize the attorney general to bring a civil action against a party responsible for “climate-attributable damage” to pursue recovery of defined categories of climate-related losses. These include California FAIR Plan Association costs, certain state and local borrowing expenses, and insurance-related impacts on policyholders, where those costs are attributed to a past climate disaster. Money recovered from the suits would be deposited into a newly created “Climate Disaster Fund,” which would be used for specific uses.
The bill defines a “responsible party” as a firm with at least $500 million in market capitalization or annual worldwide revenue engaged in extracting, producing, or selling fossil fuel products with sufficient contacts in California.
SB 982 states that “climate disasters” have caused “destruction of homes and property, loss of wages, escalating insurance and rental costs, depletion of public resources, and injuries to Californians’ health, safety, and livelihoods.” The bill would hold a “responsible party” as “strictly liable” for financial harms caused by climate disasters, supplementing existing legal remedies.
The oil industry came out against the bill, with the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) releasing a statement:
“At a time when Governor Newsom, the California Energy Commission and the actual serious legislators are trying to retain the refineries remaining in California to protect consumers, Senator Scott Wiener’s proposal would wipe out all the hard work everyone has done collectively. This is a political stunt that will kill jobs and increase costs for consumers. If these legislators are serious about this issue, they should practice what they preach and walk between Sacramento and their districts.”
SB 982 differs from last year’s bill in that it narrows the potential parties subject to liability and revises the liability framework in response to concerns about retroactivity and causation.
Similar bills allowing state attorneys general to sue fossil fuel companies for damages from climate disasters have been introduced in Hawaii and New York.