The fossil fuel industry is spending record amounts to keep California from regulating it

The fossil fuel sector in California has allocated over $17 million on lobbying efforts during the first half of 2026, marking a record for the industry, according to analyses by the Last Chance Alliance. This surge in spending includes $10.3 million during the first quarter and $6.8 million in the second quarter, primarily directed against climate and worker-safety legislation.

Companies like Chevron and Phillips 66 were among the top spenders, with Chevron alone investing $3.7 million. The primary targets of this lobbying include legislation proposing new costs and liabilities for the fossil fuel industry, such as a bill mandating companies to pay for rebuilding after climate-intensified natural disasters.

Other bills aimed at clarifying workplace-safety laws and ensuring thorough reporting of cleanup costs when decommissioning projects were also scrutinized. Critics argue that these companies are not acting in the best interest of consumers or communities. The lobbying efforts have been successful, particularly in undermining the state's cap-and-invest program, which is crucial for achieving California's climate targets, including carbon neutrality by 2045.

The sector has also fought against a bill to extend the Displaced Oil and Gas Workers Fund, which aids workers transitioning to new careers, and against measures to create a task force for safe staffing guidelines for oil refineries and prevent the abandonment of methane-leaking oil wells. Despite recent record profits driven by oil supply disruptions and higher oil prices, oil and gas CEOs have expressed concerns over threats to oil supplies, particularly due to the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran.