CCI PITCHES CLIMATE LITIGATION TO ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA AMIDST LOCAL RESISTANCE By NICOLE JACOBS
“We will see more of this ‘climate science’ gray literature from lawyers at fancy sounding institutes laundered thru the media. Journalists just rinse and repeat as willing dupes for this agenda….”
CCI PITCHES CLIMATE LITIGATION TO ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA AMIDST LOCAL RESISTANCE
APRIL 22, 2024 | NICOLE JACOBS
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Despite local resistance from Pennsylvania workers, on April 10, a Rockefeller-funded activist organization that recruits municipalities, cities, and states across the country to join the litigation campaign pitched their anti-energy playbook to the Allegheny County Council Committee on Sustainability and Green Initiatives.
The Center for Climate Integrity’s (CCI) presentation came days after a wide variety of business leaders in the state sent an open letter to the Council that made the case against litigation, writing that it would hamper job growth, wages, and environmental groups – only to appease out-of-state activists. At the same time, local backlash to Bucks County’s recent suit has been swift, even forcing one Commissioner to withdraw support of the lawsuit.
Allegheny County Appears to Commit to a Transparent Process – Unlike Bucks County
The event marked CCI’s first public presentation to a Pennsylvania local government, and overall, it was quite… tame? These discussions with lawmakers typically happen behind the scenes, with materials including repetitive, firm reminders that they are “for internal use only” and are not to be shared.
But the public facing messaging took a different approach. Leaders from CCI presented the findings of its Pennsylvania “Climate Costs” report released last year. These conclusion-first, data-second reports are designed to capture media-friendly headlines to lay the groundwork for future litigation and have received stark criticism from scientific experts. Back in 2019 when CCI began crafting this type of research, former Chief Scientist at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ryan Maue lambasted CCI’s lack of scientific rigor:
“We will see more of this ‘climate science’ gray literature from lawyers at fancy sounding institutes laundered thru the media. Journalists just rinse and repeat as willing dupes for this agenda. Goal? Sue Big Oil.” (emphasis added)
In the latter half of the meeting, various environmental groups spoke in support of litigation efforts to Allegheny County and Pittsburgh City Council members – raising questions of if a joint suit could be considered.
It’s unclear whether Allegheny County Council or Pittsburgh City has taken or will take any further steps towards filing a lawsuit. In comments to the Broad & Liberty a week before the meeting, Councilmember Anita Prizio, Chair of the Committee on Sustainability and Green Initiatives and a member of CCI’s “Leaders Network” said, “I would not be comfortable saying that the County is considering taking legal action of the kind you suggest.”
Prizio went on to clarify that the County Solicitor works at the direction of the County Chief Executive, not the County Council, and the council did not plan to vote on recommending a lawsuit at the CCI meeting:
“Moreover, none of Council’s committees — including the Committee on Sustainability and Green Initiatives — has the authority to bind the full Council to action; this can only be done by a vote of the full Council itself… There is no item on the Committee’s April 10 agenda that would recommend authorizing any action by the Council or other County agency. The discussion topic is just that: a conversation undertaken to provide information to the Committee, and no votes are taken on discussion topics.”
The process described by Councilmember Prizio is particularly interesting in light of Bucks County’s recent lawsuit, which was filed without any prior public discussion, recommendation of the council, or a council vote – sparking backlash from the community.
Despite the possibility of transparency, climate lawsuits – particularly in a natural-gas powerhouse like Pennsylvania – would slash jobs, raise consumer prices, and hurt the Pennsylvania economy which relies heavily on the natural gas industry.
Bottom line: While the Allegheny County Council meeting concluded without any next steps, the initial trial balloon for a county lawsuit is already facing stiff resistance. But just like the dozens of lawsuits already filed against the industry, such a move would do nothing to help achieve environmental goals while ultimately harming jobs and economic activity across the country.