Staff Reports
President Trump wasted no time upon his inauguration, swiftly shoring up America’s energy dominance, championing free markets, and securing individual liberties with a flurry of executive actions. However, despite these efforts, climate alarmists remain unrelenting in their quest to commandeer the economy with their ludicrous goals of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Instead of traditional government regulation, these alarmists are now resorting to the private sector, swinging their metaphorical clubs at American prosperity under the guise of corporate responsibility.
The doctrine of free markets hinges on the idea that private businesses should be able to pursue their goals without undue interference. In theory, this principle works splendidly in a nation built on small businesses and personal initiative. However, with the insidious rise of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) systems, our economy appears less a bastion of freedom and more like a dystopian playground for eco-tyrants. It’s painfully clear that a cabal of corporatist interests is hell-bent on enforcing their green agenda on unsuspecting Americans, all while masquerading their actions in market-friendly jargon.
This is not environmentalism.
This is corporate land grabbing. The vast majority of these solar panels will end up in landfill after 25-30 years or potentially destroyed by bad weather. pic.twitter.com/N7Li30rcVe— James Melville 🚜 (@JamesMelville) February 17, 2025
The term ESG itself has become a pariah, scorned by patriotic Americans fed up with being told to toe the climate line. In response, alarmists have pivoted to pushing carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, which present a myriad of problems. A recent paper from The Heartland Institute elucidates the dire implications of CCS, such as the environmental decay it could precipitate, threats to public health, and the dreaded escalation of energy costs for hardworking Americans.
For all the talk of progress, the CCS approach largely reek of government waste. Taxpayer dollars flood into these projects under the guise of subsidies, grants, and tax credits, embedding yet another public-private partnership that strikes at the heart of true free market principles. And let’s not overlook the gut-wrenching reality that CCS companies are attempting to use eminent domain to seize private land from American citizens. Such actions form a direct assault on fundamental property rights, leaving many to wonder why a for-profit venture has the audacity to act as a land-grabbing government entity.
CCS entails capturing carbon dioxide emissions at their source and shoving it deep underground where, theoretically speaking, it will stay put. However, the reality is somewhat muddier. The infrastructure required for such ambitious projects involves extensive land utilization—mostly private property. While some deals may be amicable, others are more nefarious in nature. When landowners refuse to sell, CCS companies wield the hammer of eminent domain like a weapon. This leads to questioning the very principles of the Fifth Amendment, which carefully restricts eminent domain to public use—a definition that CCS companies scramble to contort in their favor.
A recent ruling from the South Dakota Supreme Court dealt a blow to one such company by clarifying that CCS does not fit the criteria for being a common carrier, as it provides no clear public benefit. This precedent is critical in dismantling the flimsy foundation upon which CCS companies stand, which is based on the spurious argument that they are common carriers, like railroads and utility companies. Such clever dodging of the rules to justify greed will not stand if state lawmakers assert control and fortify the rights of their constituents against such corporate greed.
With solutions readily at hand, it’s long past time for the Trump administration to clamp down on this madness. The federal government should cut off funding for CCS projects while state lawmakers protect property rights by establishing clear regulations against eminent domain for carbon capture companies. Additionally, a thorough reevaluation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s findings regarding carbon dioxide is necessary to knock the wind out of the sails of the climate alarmists and set America’s energy policy back on a rational footing. The only way to kill CCS is to hit it where it counts—within the taxpayer-funded lifeblood that empowers its existence.
