California is headed in the wrong direction again. As wildfires devastate communities, the state’s response is not to address the root causes—arson, excessive fuel buildup, environmentalist lawsuits, and years of failed forest management—but to introduce another lawsuit against fossil fuel companies. 

Senate Bill 222, introduced by State Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Sasha Renée Pérez of Altadena, allows residents and insurance companies to sue oil companies for damages related to wildfires, floods, and other climate disasters. Supporters of the bill argue that shifting liability to fossil fuel corporations will reduce insurance costs. However, this amounts to more political theater that overlooks the real issue: California’s failure to manage its forests and wildlands.

It wasn’t climate change that sparked some of the recent fires—it was arsonists, overgrown forests, and decades of lawsuits by environmental groups that have blocked essential fire prevention efforts. Just last week, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups filed a lawsuit to stop a $650 million fuel reduction project in the Plumas National Forest, which was intended to protect nearby communities. This is not an isolated incident. Since 2024, environmental activists have launched multiple lawsuits blocking vegetation management projects in Sequoia National Forest, San Bernardino, and other high-risk areas. Rather than clearing out dead trees and dry brush, these groups prioritize preserving them—transforming California’s forests into a tinderbox.

Meanwhile, essential fire prevention strategies—like prescribed burns, forest thinning, and responsible herbicide use—have faced consistent opposition from the same environmental groups now holding press conferences about climate change. 

For example, using herbicides to manage roadside vegetation, a critical measure to prevent fires from spreading along highways has faced fierce resistance. Even as wildfires become more destructive, Senate Bill 89 was recently introduced to restrict herbicide use further, leaving even fewer tools available for fire mitigation.

Now, politicians claim that suing oil companies will resolve California’s wildfire issue? It won’t. The truth is that insurance companies are leaving the state due to the genuine risks posed by mismanaged forests—not because of fossil fuels. Instead of creating legal loopholes for lawsuits, lawmakers should concentrate on fire prevention policies that genuinely safeguard communities. Without significant changes to forest management, California’s wildfire crisis will only worsen—regardless of how many oil companies are sued.