MONTGOMERY – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined 22 other states in signing a letter that raises concerns about potentially collusive attempts to impose net-zero carbon standards on American industries. The letter, led by Iowa, seeks answers from Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), an organization that partners with the United Nations and various non-profit groups.
SBTi has introduced a Financial Institutions Net Zero Standard, which requires participating businesses to commit to reaching net-zero carbon emissions. The coalition of attorneys general argues that such standards could increase costs for energy, food, and development, while disproportionately targeting oil, gas, agriculture, and energy-dependent industries.
Attorney General Marshall said, “For years, radical activist groups have sought to pressure the financial sector into imposing their ideological agenda on hardworking, productive industries. American agriculture stands as the global gold standard for quality and efficiency, feeding not just Americans but countless others around the world. Ideological assaults, driven by a well-funded climate cabal, have been repeatedly exposed by our coalition of attorneys general. We will not stand by as they attempt to undermine American values, sabotage capitalism, and strangle our economic backbone.”
The letter stresses that it is illegal for companies and organizations to collude in ways that restrict the output of goods or services. States have previously opposed initiatives such as Climate Action 100+ and the Net Zero Insurance Alliance on similar grounds. If SBTi’s framework is being used to coordinate restrictions among companies, the attorneys general warn that it could violate both state and federal law.
The coalition is requesting information to determine whether SBTi functions as a means of unlawful coordination. In addition to Alabama and Iowa, the letter was signed by Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
