Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation, said he supports new legislation in Tennessee that would shield fossil fuel companies from climate-related lawsuits, calling such legal efforts baseless and financially motivated.
The bill, SB2560/HB2070, recently passed by the Tennessee General Assembly, establishes that it is state policy to protect the right of individuals and businesses to engage in and invest in activities related to fossil fuels, including the exploration, production, transportation, and use of coal, oil, and natural gas.
It bars courts from assigning liability for emissions tied to those activities unless there is a proven violation of federal environmental law, such as the Clean Air Act.
Even when violations are proven, the legislation requires that liability be determined strictly under federal law, effectively blocking many state-level climate claims.
Speaking during Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Phillips dismissed the growing number of lawsuits filed across the country against major energy companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron.
“These climate change lawsuits are just the latest thing that the left is trying to throw up against a wall, see if it’ll stick,” Phillips said.
He questioned the legal basis for such cases, which often seek damages for climate-related harms, noting, “I’ve never seen [the alleged injury] thoroughly explained other than some vague ‘oh, we’re in anguish because it might be a little bit warmer.’”
The Tennessee bill also limits lawsuits to claims based strictly on in-state activities and allows companies to seek expedited court rulings to establish an official record of their emissions. Courts are required to issue decisions within 60 days in such cases.
A notable provision creates an “irrebuttable presumption” that emissions are effectively zero if they fall below a threshold tied to global emissions benchmarks, specifically referencing combined emissions from China and India.
Phillips also challenged the scientific premise underlying many climate lawsuits.
“The idea that it is manmade is just… so spurious. ‘Cause if you look back in history, we’ve had our temperatures go up. We’ve had our temperatures go down,” he said.
He argued that natural forces play a larger role in climate variation.
“What seems to be the primary driver of that is our sun with solar cycles… those seem to be the big things that drive the variations in climate,” Phillips added.
Additionally, Phillips suggested that financial incentives are driving litigation, explaining, “At the end of the day… they’re hoping for a lawsuit that somehow or another they’ll get a judge to make it stick. And then once it sticks, they can extort some kind of settlement… primarily in paying attorney’s fees.”
He also criticized what he described as contradictions among climate activists.
“All these climate scammers… they’re all posting online using computers that are created with various petroleum… the internet… would not have but for fossil fuels.”
The Tennessee legislation now awaits action from Governor Bill Lee.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
