As Heat Wave Scorches New York, Congress Must Protect Climate Change Superfund!

ALBANY, NY (07/01/2026) (readMedia)-- On the heels of a scorching European heat wave, a "heat dome" will be settling over the United States, including New York. That heat wave will bring temperatures into the 100s. Scientists are confirming that this heat wave is only possible because of the climate crisis, driven by fossil fuel burning. The public health and infrastructure costs from heat waves are staggering.

Who will pay?

New York's Climate Change Superfund Law makes sure Big Oil will be forced to pick up the tab for at least some of the damage they've caused to New Yorkers - but, as Newsday reported this spring, a bill in Congress would do away with the law and put the $3 billion/year tab for climate-related damages and resilience back on New Yorkers.

"Heat waves are expensive and deadly. But the Climate Change Superfund Law makes sure that New Yorkers aren't stuck paying for the cooling centers, outreach programs, and healthcare that are needed because of Big Oil's decades of climate-changing pollution and deception. The Climate Change Superfund is law in New York, but if some in Washington like U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (TX) have their way, they'll let Big Oil off scot free and stick the $3 billion per year tab back onto the state's taxpayers. New York's members of congress must fight to protect the Climate Change Superfund Act." said Blair Horner, Senior Policy Advisor of NYPIRG.

In New York City, 500 residents die every year from heat-related deaths. The Climate Change Superfund makes Big Oil pay for cooling centers and air conditioning in schools, nursing homes and low-income homes hit hardest by extreme heat – not taxpayers. The law, signed by Governor Hochul in 2024, requires the companies most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions to pay $3 billion annually for the next 25 years for damage repairs, resilience upgrades and protection programs. The $75 billion raised by the Climate Change Superfund Act could save NY taxpayers $825 billion down the road. That's pennies for the Big Oil industry, where the top companies made 1.3 trillion in profits between 2021 and 2025.

BACKGROUND

The Climate Change Superfund Law is modeled on the State and Federal Superfund law (which requires polluters to fund toxic waste dump cleanups) by making Big Oil climate polluters financially responsible for the environmental damages that they have caused. The top Big Oil companies are required to pay a combined $3 Billion annually, every year for 25 years. These costs won't fall back on consumers, according to economists and an analysis from the think tank Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU Law.

New York is facing staggering – and growing – climate costs. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that it will cost $52 billion just to protect NY Harbor. On top of that, we'll need $75-$100 billion to protect Long Island, and $55 billion for climate costs across the rest of the state. The state Comptroller has predicted that more than half of local governments' costs will be attributable to the climate crisis.

Big Oil is at fault for climate change, and it can certainly afford the costs. According to a study in One Earth, the world's 21 top polluting companies are responsible for $5.4 trillion in climate damages over a period of 26 years. While these climate damage bills pile up for taxpayers, the industry responsible for this mess is raking in cash. From 2021 to 2025, the world's major Big Oil companies made $1.3 trillion in profits.