# Democrats target oil companies in bid to tackle property insurance crisis  
**Published:** 2026-05-13T23:01:08.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/repub/as-property-insurance-crisis-worsens-some-lawmakers-target-big-oil/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/democrats-target-oil-companies-in-bid-to-tackle-property-insurance-crisis

Desperate to address soaring property insurance costs driven by climate disasters, Democratic lawmakers in three states have introduced bills that would allow insurance companies or state attorneys general to sue fossil fuel producers to offset rising premiums. Though none advanced this session, the proposals signal growing urgency as [wildfires, floods and other disasters have driven up insurance costs](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/repub/as-property-insurance-crisis-worsens-some-lawmakers-target-big-oil/) and prompted some insurers to stop writing policies.

[Nebraska has seen homeowner insurance costs rise 20% since 2023](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/nebraska-has-some-of-the-most-expensive-home-insurance-in-the-us-new-report-finds/), making it the fourth most expensive state for coverage. The proposals follow dozens of lawsuits filed by states and municipalities against fossil fuel companies over climate change damages, with some seeking recovery under consumer protection, public nuisance and fraud statutes.

A California bill would have empowered the state attorney general to sue oil companies to recover insurance costs but failed to advance out of committee last month amid opposition from Republicans and some Democrats over concerns about fuel prices. A Hawaii measure allowing insurers to seek damages for climate-worsened disasters stalled when a conference committee ran out of time before the legislative deadline. A third bill in New York has been introduced but has not yet advanced to committee.

Several states have also pursued so-called "climate Superfund" legislation using attribution science to calculate disaster costs and charge fossil fuel companies for their role in causing them. Those efforts have encountered fierce opposition and legal challenges from oil companies and conservative groups, which argue that producers sold their products while following federal regulations.

States counter that companies knew about climate change risks but misled the public, drawing parallels to tobacco litigation. "[T]he largest oil and gas corporations, who knowingly contributed to the drought conditions that made the Maui fires worse, pay nothing while continuing to rake in billions of dollars in profit every year," Democratic state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole of Hawaii wrote in a recent op-ed. "Hawaiʻi taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for Big Oil's deception." If enacted, the proposed legislation would almost certainly face legal challenges from the fossil fuel industry.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/repub/as-property-insurance-crisis-worsens-some-lawmakers-target-big-oil/)
- [Flatwater Free Press reporting on Nebraska insurance costs and state policy responses](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/nebraska-has-some-of-the-most-expensive-home-insurance-in-the-us-new-report-finds/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/13/repub/as-property-insurance-crisis-worsens-some-lawmakers-target-big-oil/.