Jason Isaacs
If Kamala Harris is elected president on November 5, her Justice Department is expected to launch Green New Deal laws.
As with all final issues related to this election, Harris didn't say much about the substance of her climate policies. But a review of her record suggests she is willing to unleash the power of energy providers on the Justice Department, something her taciturn allies on the climate left are optimistic she will do.
Letting the Justice Department go easy on U.S. energy companies would mean plunging the country into the last century. Conventional energy sources are critical to the world-historic quality of life that most Americans enjoy. Litigation will drive up prices. The lawsuits will also provide a powerful boost to the transition to electric vehicles, stoves and water heaters, products that remain unpopular with most people because they are expensive and not as effective as gas alternatives. Green New Deal laws rolling out at the state and local levels across the country mean forcing these appliances on an unwilling public through settlement terms or public spending funded by large judgments.
Harris has aligned herself with climate law. According to the Los Angeles Times, Harris investigated whether ExxonMobil “repeatedly lied to the public and its shareholders about the risks climate change posed to its business” while serving as California's attorney general. Although she supported legal claims against the energy provider as a presidential candidate, the investigation did not result in litigation.
Harris repeated typical climate lawsuit claims during her ill-fated 2020 campaign. She accused energy suppliers of withholding inside information about emissions, just as tobacco companies have been accused of misleading customers about the health effects of smoking.
“You should really be prepared to face serious fines or be charged with a crime,” Harris said at a South Carolina town hall in 2019. She made similar remarks in an interview with Mother Jones.
Harris has of course abandoned much of her 2020 platform, but climate fanatics believe she is still willing to hold energy providers accountable in court. A coalition of alarmist groups is urging Harris to direct the Justice Department to investigate the industry, saying such an investigation is “long overdue.” Democrats including Sheldon Whitehouse and Jamie Raskin have similarly pressured the Justice Department to take this step.
One step the Justice Department could take — and the climate left is already calling for it — is to launch an investigation under the anti-Mafia statute, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. This means the defendants are responsible not only for emissions but also for political rhetoric and actions in support of natural gas energy policy. Democratic lawmakers vigorously discussed that approach when a former Justice Department official testified before the Senate Budget Committee in May.
How will anti-energy laws benefit average Americans? Settlement costs or large judgments will inevitably impact consumers at numerous service points. Everything will cost more. You'll notice this most when you're paying your energy bill, filling up your gas tank, or buying a plane ticket. But cheap and plentiful energy is vital to all businesses, and there are hidden penalties everywhere.
Additionally, climate plaintiffs are already developing plans to spend funds provided by climate laws. These plans include investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, mandatory appliances in new buildings, and even repurposing neighborhoods to create 15-minute cities. This is social reinvention through litigation, imposing lifestyle choices on unwilling participants.
President Kamala Harris likely will not push a landmark climate bill through Congress as pre-election forecasts favor a Republican takeover of the Senate. That means she'll have to think creatively about how to round up energy companies, and prosecuting them to the Justice Department could be one step.
Jason Isaac, former Texas state representative and founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute,
This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and provided via RealClearWire.
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