Big Oil spent a record $38 million on lobbying in California in 2024 to obstruct climate progress, shattering its 2017 record by 31 percent. The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) and Chevron, which together accounted for 83 percent of the industry’s expenditure in 2024, broke their previous spending record, with a combined $31.6 million last year.
What do corporate polluters get for their lobbying? They get to maximize their profits while killing urgently needed climate policy, such as the 2024 bill that would have made them pay for climate damages via a climate superfund. That’s on top of the state subsidies they are already getting — worth at least $146 million annually.
California also gives away $1 billion in free allowances to Big Oil to pollute each year through the state’s Cap and Trade program.
California lawmakers should represent the interests of all Californians, not the interests of a handful of oil executives. They must eliminate the Water’s Edge tax loophole as well as free giveaways in the Cap and Trade program and dedicate those funds to climate solutions that benefit us all.
Ending fossil fuel subsidies, tax breaks, and other state giveaways is the most cost-effective and equitable path forward to accelerate the transition to clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and climate resilience. It’s long past time to end state policies that feed a climate-wrecking lobbying machine. Tell Governor Newsom and other lawmakers to eliminate all state fossil fuel subsidies now.
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