As New Jersey communities face rising costs from flooding and extreme weather from climate change, a new report finds that many of the lobbyists for fossil fuel and business interests who oppose the Polluters Pay To Make New Jersey Affordable Act (S2338/A3735) are simultaneously lobbying for local governments that support the bill and would stand to benefit from the infrastructure projects it would fund.
In 2025, seven counties and more than 70 municipalities passed resolutions calling on the state to pass the Polluters Pay Act, which would require the world’s largest fossil fuel companies to pay $50 billion over 20 years for the climate damages they caused. Over the last two years, some of these same local governments used taxpayer funds to retain lobbying firms who oppose the bill on behalf of their clients in the business and fossil fuel sectors.
“New Jerseyans are getting hit with a climate double-whammy,” said James Browning, Executive Director of F Minus. “Fossil fuel companies whose products are contributing to global warming are blocking passage of Polluters Pay, which would help local governments cover the costs of climate impacts such as flooding. But then, perversely, some of these local governments are spending taxpayer funds to retain lobbying firms who oppose the bill on behalf of their business and fossil fuel clients.”
The report discovered that Princeton Public Affairs Group represents four fossil fuel clients and specifically lobbied against the Polluters Pay Act for the American Fuel and Petrochemical Association and the New Jersey Civil Justice Institute, while also collecting $30,000 from Essex County, which passed a resolution supporting the bill.
Public Strategies Impact represents ExxonMobil on a “perpetual” retainer while also collecting $60,500 from Hudson County, which passed a resolution supporting the bill. Archer Public Affairs lobbied against the Polluters Pay Act on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute, which has led national opposition to Climate Superfund legislation, while also lobbying for Ocean City, which faces an estimated $235 million in costs from rising seas by 2040.
“In a major conflict of interest, taxpayer dollars are flowing to the same lobbying firms that are working to shield fossil fuel companies from accountability,” said Ben Dziobek, Executive Director of Climate Revolution Action Network New Jersey (CRAN). In the communities hit hardest by climate change, residents are effectively paying lobbyists to undermine legislation that would help them recover from climate damages. When fossil fuel companies don’t pay, we all do.”
Newark, Essex County, and Hudson County have all passed resolutions in support of the Polluters Pay Act and would benefit from the bill as they face at least $565 million in projected costs to protect against rising sea levels.
“This bill is one of the most popular pieces of legislation in Trenton, with a broad coalition of support from local governments, community organizations, and faith leaders. The only opposition comes from fossil fuel companies and the lobbying firms they hire,” said Sara Shor, Director of Organizing of Fossil Free Media. “Making polluters pay instead of taxpayers and local governments is a no-brainer.”
The report, New Jersey’s Double Agents, was produced by F Minus, a research and watchdog organization that tracks state-level fossil fuel lobbyists, with Climate Revolution Action Network and Make Polluters Pay.
In 2024, a 50-state report card from F Minus gave 27 states failing grades for their lobbyist disclosure systems. The report gave New Jersey a grade of D+ and found it to have one of the worst, most user-unfriendly lobbyist disclosure websites of any state.