There’s an invisible hand reaching into America’s pocket every time we fill up at the pump or pay that electric bill, and it doesn’t come through the Strait of Hormuz.
While geopolitical instability and bule state tax rates are big drivers for the bigger price, there’s more to it. And right on cue, the usual suspects on the left are suddenly pretending to care about “high prices.” They’ll scream at everyone with tired cries of everyone oil companies and “corporate greed,” but they turn a blind eye to the real culprit staring them in the face: more than 600 lawsuits filed by their own green activist allies. And many of their friends running to the courthouse are bankrolled by foreign money. All with the goal of deliberately strangling American energy production.
This isn’t speculation. It’s a coordinated, well-funded legal war. The Natural Resources Defense Council brags it sued the Trump administration 163 times, taking credit for killing the Keystone XL pipeline. The Sierra Club proudly claims it filed over 300 cases against the first Trump term and launched more than 100 new lawsuits and interventions in 2025 alone. Earthjustice has racked up over 200 suits. For those keeping score, that’s more than 600 lawsuits in total targeting energy policies and projects. These aren’t friendly neighborhood environmental watchdogs. This is weaponized litigation designed to block pipelines, delay drilling, stop natural gas terminals, and tie up every responsible domestic energy project in endless court battles. And these groups are all getting checks from way out of town.
You may have never heard of Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss and his network, but they’re main-lining cash to these groups. According to a recent Americans for Public Trust report, entities founded by Wyss have funneled more than $673 million into U.S.-based advocacy groups. That foreign cash flows to outfits like the League of Conservation Voters, Fund for a Better Future, Planned Parenthood, Indivisible, and the very environmental litigation machines filing these suits. Fox News highlighted it clearly: Wyss’s money advances radical environmentalism, election law changes, and direct political attacks.
You won’t be shocked to learn the same politicians who rail against “foreign interference” in our elections say nothing when Swiss billions attack American energy independence.
These lawsuits don’t just waste taxpayer dollars and court time, they also drive-up costs for every American family. They block new supplies. They delay projects for years. They force companies to spend millions on lawyers instead of on production. The result is clear: Less American oil, gas, and coal coming online exactly when the world needs reliable energy most. Global instability makes domestic production more critical than ever. But instead of unleashing American energy dominance, these foreign-funded green groups are doing everything possible to keep us dependent and paying more.
That’s why Congresswoman Harriet Hageman’s new legislation is so important. Last week, Rep. Hageman (R-WY) introduced the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026. This bill does exactly what its name suggests: it shields American energy producers from the leftist climate litigation crusade. It prohibits retroactive climate liability lawsuits and “climate superfund” shakedowns that try to punish companies for lawful activity decades ago. It dismisses pending cases the day it’s enacted. It voids the patchwork of state “energy penalty” laws popping up in places like Vermont, New York, California, and elsewhere. And it makes crystal clear that the federal government, not activist state legislatures, governors, or Swiss billionaires’ favorite nonprofits, has exclusive authority over interstate energy and emissions standards. As Rep. Hageman put it: “Energy security is national security, and we will not self-sabotage our critical industries with a cascade of costly lawsuits and extreme penalties that jeopardize American drilling.”
The left can keep faking outrage over high prices. The rest of us see the truth: their policies, taxes and their allies are suing our way into energy poverty while taking foreign cash to do it. Enough. The Stop Climate Shakedowns Act is a critical, common-sense step to end the legal abuse, boost American energy production, restore sanity to our energy policy, and will lower prices for American families and workers.
It’s time to pass it. America’s energy future, our national security, and our wallets depend on it.
Larry Behrens is an energy expert and the Communications Director for Power The Future. He is also author of the new book “Power Restored: President Trump’s First Year and the Revival of American Energy Leadership.” You can follow him on X/Twitter @larrybehrens
This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.
