Fossil Fuel Companies Want To Outlaw Boycotts Against Them

Fossil fuel producers are urging ALEC to help “preserve [their] freedom.”

An oil and gas industry group recently urged the board of directors of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—the right-wing corporate bill mill—to reconsider adopting a model policy that would blacklist companies that limit their business with fossil fuels, according to a letter acquired by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD).

If adopted by state lawmakers, ALEC’s proposed Eliminate Economic Boycotts Act would prohibit state and local governments from awarding state contracts to any company that takes into account “social, political, or ideological interests” to “limit commercial relations” with fossil fuel energy, logging, mining, or agriculture businesses.

The measure would “ensure that our state and local taxpayer dollars are not advancing the woke agenda,” the letter (LINK) from the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance (DEPA) claims.

The DEPA letter is part of a growing, well-funded right-wing campaign to pressure state lawmakers to oppose any policies or investments that take into account environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Federal and state lawmakers have introduced more than 100 anti-ESG bills in 30 states so far this year, and Republicans are reportedly expected to make anti-ESG messaging a core component of their 2024 campaign strategy.