GOP lawmaker says Congress can’t wait for Supreme Court to stop backdoor climate tax 

Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, told Heartlander News the Supreme Court could rule in a landmark climate change case in a way that prolongs the litigation. She urged Congress to pass her bill to stop the lawsuits.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, a case that could determine whether local governments can sue energy companies under state law for alleged climate change damages.

Hageman said the Supreme Court may decide only whether such cases belong in federal or state court, leaving the central question of whether climate lawfare can proceed at all for another day.

“So that just is going to drag this out,” she told Heartlander News.

Hageman introduced the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026, legislation to halt climate lawsuits seeking to retroactively punish energy companies for their alleged contributions to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced the Senate version.

Climate lawfare advocates have been unsuccessful in state legislatures – “even in liberal states” – and are turning to the courts to impose a carbon tax, Hageman argued, calling the strategy “unconstitutional.”

“If you want a tax, it has to be done through the legislative branch,” Hageman said. “This is a roundabout way of saying ‘We’re going to impose the tax essentially on the oil and gas companies, on the coal companies, on the energy producers,’ and pretending that that isn’t going to ultimately be passed on to the consumers anyway.”

Power The Future, a conservative energy advocacy group, has urged Congress to pass Hageman’s legislation. A report the group released with economist E.J. Antoni found that more than 300 pending climate legal actions, along with state “climate superfund” laws that charge energy companies for past emissions, could cost each American household up to $2,111 a year.

Hageman called the report’s figure a “lowball estimate.”

Daniel Turner, the group’s founder and executive director, told Heartlander News he believes the bill has the votes, but Congress is wary of bold moves before an election. He also said more than 3,000 climate change cases are before the courts, while the report analyzed the impact of only about 300.

“Our current Congress is not solutions oriented. They’re not problem solvers. They’re talkers, and this solves a problem,” Turner added, noting the upcoming midterm elections. “It’s bold, and Congress doesn’t like to do bold things. Congress likes to kick the can down the road and campaign on bold things.”

Hageman also said Republicans “have to be more honest and upfront about who has created an affordability crisis in this country.”

She cited diesel exhaust fluid requirements as an example, saying a Wyoming trucking company told her the rules had cut the lifespan of its semis in half and left tow trucks impotent.

“Now think about that in Wyoming in the winter, and you’ve got a truck off to the side of the road,” she said. “You send out a tow truck, and you’ve created a very dangerous situation because of DEF, because of a stupid Democrat policy.”

“So, the Republicans just need to be a lot better at explaining everything that Democrats touch [will] increase the cost to the … consumer,” she said.

Hageman, Wyoming’s lone House member, is the Republican nominee for Senate. She has referred to energy security as one of the most vital issues for Congress to address.