Fridays for Future Rallies at Capitol in Support of Make Polluters Pay Superfund Bill

Fridays for Future Sacramento and an array of local climate and environmental justice groups held a march and rally in support of the Make Polluters Pay Superfund Bill (SB 684 & AB 1243) on Friday, April 11. 

This bill would make the biggest fossil fuel polluters pay their fair share for the climate destruction they’ve caused - rather than leaving taxpayers to cover the cost.  

The protest began with a gathering at Crocker Park. The participants, mainly from Sacramento Area high schools, marched to the State Capitol where they held a short rally. 

Three young climate justice advocates addressed the rally, speaking about the urgency of passing the bills in light of the climate catastrophes now taking place in California and around the world because of fossil fuel-triggered climate change. The participants then performed a die-in right in front of the West Steps of the State Capitol to show the deaths occurring around the world because of climate change. 

Third Act Sacramento performed a skit, based around the Matrix movie, about Big Oil's inordinate influence on the California Legislature. 

After chanting a number of slogans, the participants then got on their cell phones to legislators to demand that they support the bills. 

Participating organizations included Fridays for Future Sacramento, Fridays for Future Fresno, 350 Bay Area, 350 Granite Bay High School, 350 Sacramento, 350 San Diego, Center for Biological Diversity, Oil & Gas Action Network, Sacramento Climate Coalition, Sierra Club Mother Lode, Sunrise Movement Sacramento, and Third Act Sacramento. 

Why the bill now? The climate crisis is here and Big Oil is making billions while we pay the price. Californians are dealing with wildfires, floods, skyrocketing insurance rates, and crumbling infrastructure-all while fossil fuel companies rake in profits. Similar bills have already been passed in 2024 by New York and Vermont.

On March 2, the California Senate version of the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act passed out of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee in a 5-3 vote.

The next confirmed Senate Committee hearing for SB 684 will be on April 29 in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Assembly version of the bill, AB 1243, will be heard in Assembly Committees soon, with the dates to be announced.

Senator Caroline Menjivar (D- San Fernando Valley) and Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D- Morro Bay) introduced SB 684 and AB 1243 on Feb. 21, 2025.

The Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act will:

• Direct CalEPA to complete a climate cost study to quantify total damages to the state (through 2045), caused by past fossil fuel emissions.

• Direct CalEPA to identify responsible parties and assess compensatory fees on the largest fossil fuel polluters proportional to their fossil fuel emissions 1990 through 2024, to address damages quantified in the cost study.

• Fund California’s future. Fees collected will fund projects and programs to mitigate disaster related rate increases for Californians and remedy or prevent climate-related costs and harms. The bill prioritizes labor and job standards and dedicates at least 40% of the funds to benefit disadvantaged communities.

You can tell your legislators to pass the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act here:
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/californians-make-polluters-pay

#FridaysForFuture is a youth-led and -organised movement that began in August 2018, after 15-year-old Greta Thunberg and other young activists sat in front of the Swedish parliament every schoolday for three weeks, to protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis. She posted what she was doing on Instagram and Twitter and it soon went viral.