Climate shakedown lawsuits threaten U.S. energy dominance
By
Bonner Cohen, Ph. D.
|
April 26th, 2026
Propelled by the shale revolution in which human ingenuity (fracking) has made beneficial use of favorable geology, the United States is now the world’s leading producer of crude oil and natural gas.
China can produce all the solar panels and raw materials for wind turbines and EV batteries it wishes, but Beijing’s bet that it can hook the world on green energy is no match for America’s fossil-fuel dominance.
But instead of celebrating the nation’s good fortune, a ravenous pack of city, county, and state governments wants to shake down America’s oil and gas producers for their alleged role in what are said to be the damages caused by climate change. Vermont and New York have already passed “climate superfund” laws, while legislatures in at least nine other states, including California, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Minesota, New Jersey, Orgon, Rhode Island, and Virginia are considering similar proposals. Meanwhile, Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland, Boulder County, Colorado, and Multnomah County, Oregon have filed lawsuits citing the costs of protecting urban infrastructure from the effects of climate change.
https://www.cfact.org/2026/04/26/climate-shakedown-lawsuits-threaten-u-s-energy-dominance/