# 119-s-4340: Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026

119-s-4340, Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4340
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4340
- Congress: 119
- Title: Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-16
- Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Federal shield for energy companies**. The Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026 would block many climate-related civil lawsuits and void state and local energy penalties while declaring greenhouse gas regulation an exclusively federal responsibility. - Energy producers and energy trade groups would be protected from a wide class of climate-related claims. The bill bars so-called "qualified liability actions" and would require dismissal of pending qualified liability suits. - State and local governments would lose the ability to enforce energy-penalty laws or to bring state tort or consumer-protection claims tied to interstate or global greenhouse gas emissions. Conflicting state laws would be voided under the bill's federal preemption. - Courts and plaintiffs would face tighter limits on climate litigation because the bill defines what counts as a climate suit, removes a private right of action for greenhouse-gas harms, and includes a severability clause to keep other provisions if parts are struck down.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Energy companies shielded from climate lawsuits: cost, high. If enacted, this bill would bar people from filing or keeping ‘‘qualified liability actions’’ against persons engaged in the energy business in any State or Federal court. Courts would have to dismiss any such climate-related cases that are pending on the date of enactment. The bill would also decl…
- Only federal control of climate rules: mixed, high. If enacted, this bill would declare that regulation of greenhouse-gas emissions and climate change is exclusively a Federal authority. State and local rules that try to regulate greenhouse gases or impose climate-based penalties would be barred. The bill also includes a severability clause saying t…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-2967: Border Lands Conservation Act
- 119-s-587: Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-4340 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4340)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-2967: Border Lands Conservation Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2967)
- [119-s-587: Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-587)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4340 (as of 2026-08-11).