Recent opinion content making its rounds in state papers reveals that the national campaign to sue U.S. energy companies for the effects of global climate change has chosen Pennsylvania as its next target. These climate lawsuits have failed in other states because they are without merit.
The Clean Air Council and other proponents of climate litigation argue that the commonwealth and our local governments should sue energy producers for costs associated with the global and local effects of climate change. But right off the bat, these arguments fundamentally misrepresent Pennsylvania’s manufacturing and energy sectors.
Suing companies for providing an essential product—energy—that enables people across the country to grow food, drive cars, power industry, and heat homes is nonsensical. Lawsuits such as these only make the cost and liability associated with producing energy more expensive, and these costs inevitably will be passed on to consumers. The only winners are a small cohort of plaintiffs’ attorneys who stand to make tens of millions in fees if just one of the dozens of climate lawsuits filed across the country is successful.
Moreover, abusing the judicial system to boost household energy costs for Pennsylvanians does absolutely nothing to address the effects of global climate change. In fact, lawsuits shift attention and resources away from the practical, innovative solutions our manufacturing and energy sectors are currently deploying to continue to lower emissions.
The companies that climate litigation supporters hope to put out of business are the same companies that the United States relies on to lead the way toward feasible solutions, as Pennsylvania’s energy and manufacturing businesses have done for more than a century. Pennsylvania companies have already contributed to dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the U.S. by playing a pivotal role in expanding natural gas production, and given that production in the Marcellus Shale has the lowest GHG intensity in the country, the state is well-positioned to drive further environmental and economic progress.
Unfortunately, these organizations are no strangers to the misuse of Pennsylvania’s civil justice system. The Clean Air Council frequently embarks on bogus litigation efforts to strip energy producers of their licenses to operate. From attempting to block pipelines that safely transport oil and natural gas across the country to calling on the EPA to effectively end fossil fuels immediately, the group does everything it can to thwart U.S. energy production, harming businesses and consumers in the process.
This time around, Clean Air Council is pushing climate lawsuits in collaboration with the D.C.-based activist group the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), a billionaire-funded organization on a mission to lure as many states and municipalities as possible to file suit, with a goal of ultimately choking the industry with so much litigation that it can no longer viably function.
There’s a reason why these lawsuits haven’t been successful to date. Pennsylvania employers and lawmakers should stand up to the outside interests that are trying to undermine our economic progress, energy security, and consumer choices.