Free speech isn’t much in favor with conservative lawmakers, despite their frequent whining about supposed “cancel culture.”

This has long been evident in Arkansas, such as with the law to punish people who won’t sign away full free speech rights as a condition of doing business with the state of Arkansas (the Israel boycott law that the Arkansas Times is fighting). There are also the efforts to squelch even mention of divisive subjects. To require objectionable and even inaccurate speech in the case of medical services for women. And so on.

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But here’s a new one coming out of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the Koch-backed conservative bill factory much favored as a convention destination by many Arkansas lawmakers. From the Center for Media and Democracy:

 

As climate change accelerates and environmental disasters proliferate around the world, a Big Oil-funded business lobbying group has decided to attack financial firms that are taking their money out of fossil fuel companies, the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has learned.

Today at the annual States and Nation Policy Summit of the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a pay-to-play organization that brings together corporate lobbyists and mostly Republican state lawmakers to author model legislation, members of the group’s energy task force voted unanimously to approve a new model policy that would prevent financial companies that end investments in oil, gas, and coal companies from receiving state government contracts or managing state funds.

The bill, the Energy Discrimination Elimination Act, directs state treasurers or comptrollers to maintain a list of firms that boycott fossil fuels. Each government contract with a business that has more than 10 employees must include a verification that the company does not boycott fossil fuel businesses.

The act and its backers claim that fossil fuel divestment will hurt workers and state pension funds, yet it ignores the growing U.S. renewable energy industry and its lucrative stocks. The Department of Energy estimates that renewable energy will account for 80% of U.S. power generation by 2050. At the energy task force meeting today, ALEC staff suggested lawmakers frame the bill as protecting the economic interests of their states.

ALEC keeps its corporate member list secret, but CMD has identified hundreds of members, including numerous fossil fuel production and utility companies. On its corporate board are Energy Future Holdings, Koch Industries’ lobbying arm, and Peabody Energy. Other members include Chevron, Devon Energy, Duke Energy, EnCana, Energy Transfer, Marathon Petroleum, Pinnacle West Capital, and QEP Resources. The majority of ALEC’s revenue comes from corporate donations and sponsorships, and other funders include the foundations of GOP megadors such as fossil fuel magnate Charles Koch and right-wing dark money vehicles.

Didn’t these same people argue that money was speech?

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No matter. This idea is already law in Texas. And given Arkansas Republicans’ fondness for burning air-polluting fossil fuels, I can see this idea arising in the Arkansas legislature. It might be a heavy lift to get it done this year in the budget session. It might have to wait until 2023 for the regular goat-roping.

Funny.  Cruising around SWLR this morning, I passed through a Walmart parking lot and was struck by the number of electric vehicle charging stations in the lot, not to mention a shiny new charging station near my house on Woodrow Street at I-630. The EVs are coming, whether the Kochs and the rest like it or not.

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My own periodic “plug”: Ellen bought a Tesla in 2018. Total maintenance expense in almost three and half years: $0. We did pay to put a faster charger in the garage. Electricity costs haven’t been noticeable. The $200 annual state license fee for EVs is noticeable.

 

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