Massachusetts May Hit Large Fossil Fuel Companies With Big Fines

Several Massachusetts lawmakers believe the giant fossil fuel companies should have known for decades that their products were harming the environment and should face hefty fines to establish a climate change "superfund" to remediate that damage.

State Representative Steven Owens, a Watertown Democrat, has filed legislation (H 1014) to that effect in the Massachusetts House, and Democrat Senator Jamie Eldridge of Acton has filed a version of the bill (S 588) in the Senate.

State House News Service reported the legislation would "impose significant financial penalties on fossil fuel giants for their role in greenhouse gas emissions, then use that money to help fund the state's response to more intense weather, warming temperatures, and other climate change outcomes."

No member of the regional legislative delegation signed on as a co-sponsor of the legislation, which is currently before the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

A summary of Eldridge's legislation states: "This bill creates a Climate Adaptation Superfund to finance climate adaptation projects across the commonwealth by recovering funds from large fossil fuel companies that are responsible for over one billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions released between 2000 and 2018."

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Opponents of the legislation believe it would cripple business in Massachusetts and would spike utility rates, particularly electricity rates for consumers, by as much as eight percent to 16 percent.

Vermont and New York adopted similar laws in 2024.

A version of the legislation did not gain traction in the Massachusetts Legislature last session and was shipped to committee, where it eventually died. With voters already squirming over high utility bills, the legislation could face a similar fate this session.