The Environmental, Social, And Governance Threat

It may not be “the shot heard round the world,” but it is a wakeup call to everyone concerned about the Great Reset. We have been careening from one crisis to the next for the past few years and it is hard to keep up with and process everything that is happening every day.

But, once in a while, there is an event that pierces through the media clutter. One of those eye-opening events just occurred. In the fight over Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria, a bill was presented that simply said when the state spends public dollars and invests public dollars, it should not do business with companies that have adopted ESG policies, which run counter to important sectors of the state’s economy, such as anti-fossil fuel initiatives. Instead, the public money should be spent and invested with businesses that support the citizens and economy of the state.

This seems like common sense; however, it is apparently quite controversial.

As stewards of public monies, it seems prudent that a state would not give public dollars to businesses which have established as their mission that certain key industries such as coal, oil, gas, mining, or agriculture should be cut off or penalized. But a reasonable bill to do just that did not even get a hearing in Idaho. Yes, Idaho.

If that is not a blaring wakeup call, I don’t know what is. And, if that does not tell you exactly what time it is, you need to wake up.

I know that being a “red state” does not mean it is a conservative state. Believe me, I know. But, addressing ESG is not really a red vs. blue issue, or at least it shouldn’t be. This is a fight between the rights and interests of citizens and the powerful elites that are pushing their hideous Great Reset.

Idaho prides itself as being the most “unregulated” state, which is wonderful. But the fact that big banks and their chamber of commerce cronies could kill such a straightforward bill demonstrates that regulations come in many forms and from many sources. Idaho may have fewer state regulations than average. But don’t be fooled by this. Directives from on high, from the money-center banks, Wall Street, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum – those regulations are alive and well in Idaho.

One positive that comes from the experience in Idaho is that citizens and legislators across the country now know what they are up against. You can expect the lobbyists for the big banks and the chamber of commerce types to fight any efforts to limit the use of ESG metrics. These are very powerful entities in every state and many legislators do not want to pick fights against these deep-pocketed interests.

It is important to understand that vigorous opposition to bills aimed at the ESG movement proves there is something there. It is hard to dismiss efforts pushing back on the Great Reset and Net-Zero 2050 initiatives as crazy conspiracy theories when large corporations see these bills as a threat. A threat to what?

It can be difficult for legislators to fight against big-money interests, but it can be done. And with ESG and everything related to it – it must be done. Frankly, we need a lot more of DeSantis vs. Disney and a lot less capitulation to lobbyists. Legislators and others standing up against ESG need the support of their constituents.

Disney is an important part of Florida’s economy; it has economic clout. Disney is very woke in the United States (though not so much in China) and Disney does not agree with legislation in Florida aimed at protecting students in kindergarten through third grade from explicit sexual content in the curriculum. But when Disney’s president met with Gov. Ron DeSantis to air his concerns, DeSantis stood firm on his principles. We need more of that.

Bullies do not like to be confronted. They prefer to operate in the dark, out of the sunlight. Lobbyists and others who are fighting so hard against these anti-ESG bills want to kill the legislation in cover of night. They want to avoid a public hearing if at all possible, and they done just that in Idaho and elsewhere.

The Idaho bill was very clear; the only companies that had anything to worry about were those that undermine vital state interests. By avoiding a hearing, there was no opportunity to ask the business representatives to identify what actions their company is taking that would trigger any action under the bill.

The truth is that these large companies have all signed on to Net-Zero 2050 and other green global initiatives. Moreover, they are colluding with other large corporations and government entities to make sure these policies are implemented. They are proud of it. Just look at their web sites.

But what is happening in state legislatures throughout the country shows that they are not quite to the point of invincibility. They do not quite yet have a “fully operational battle station,” even if they are close enough to taste it. 

This is a fight to save what we have left of free-market capitalism for future generations. It is not too late if the states stand together now. Although this is a daunting fight, it is absolutely worth having.

Bette Grande (bgrande@heartland.org) is a government relations manager at The Heartland Institute.