The fossil fuel industry & their paid-for politicians are responsible for the climate crisis. They deceive the public, pollute our communities, & block climate action, playing a central role in the broader coalition of white supremacists, oligarchs, & corporate executives who divide & exploit us in order to maximize their profits.

It’s time for Illinois to make polluters pay. “Polluters Pay” is the idea that polluters should pay for the costs of the climate crisis (both the clean energy transition and disaster clean up). When the flood waters pour into our apartments, winds break our windows, heat waves kill our neighbors, we are going to take action – making it 100% clear that it is a small group of wealthy oil & gas elites who are responsible. They must pay for the harm they’ve caused and for the solutions that will prevent it from happening again.

Two statewide bills have been passed in Vermont and New York. These operate off the “Superfund” model, where states calculate a company’s share of carbon emissions, and then bill them an annual fee based on their emissions. That money then goes to the costs of climate disasters, building clean energy, and more.