Example Image
Civitas Outlook
Topic
Politics
Published on
May 21, 2026
Contributors
John Yoo
Michael Toth

Aloha State Lawsuits Push Radical Climate Agenda

Contributors
John Yoo
John Yoo
Senior Research Fellow
John Yoo
Michael Toth
Michael Toth
Research Director
Michael Toth
Summary
More information about climate change is not sufficiently compelling to get most of the world to stop demanding the energy they need to do things they want.

Summary
More information about climate change is not sufficiently compelling to get most of the world to stop demanding the energy they need to do things they want.

Listen to this article

For years, California was the poster child of environmental overkill. That distinction now belongs to Hawaii. About 2,400 miles away from the West Coast and with no oil fields of its own, the Aloha State depends on imports to fuel its tourism industry, run its grid and make everyday life possible.

But Hawaii’s oil dependence hasn’t kept it from waging an all-out litigation war against energy companies. Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez, along with Honolulu and Maui, are suing the oil and gas industry for untold billions based on alleged climate-related harms. These sweeping cases reveal the political corruption that infects Hawaii’s legal system and demands federal investigation and pre-emption of Hawaii’s shakedown of the energy industry.

First, the lawsuits conveniently exclude the state’s sole refinery and leading supplier of gasoline and jet fuel, Par Pacific and its subsidiary Par Hawaii. According to campaign finance filings, its executives have donated to the state’s Democratic leaders, including Gov. Josh Green. But under Hawaii’s theory of the case, the energy refiners in the state, not to mention its energy users, produce the emissions that most directly harm the islands’ environment.

Read the full article on Fox News.

10:13
1x
10:13
More articles

We Can’t Tax Our Way Out of the Entitlement Hole

Economic Dynamism
Aug 19, 2026

Richard Nixon’s Permanent Counter-Revolution

Politics
Aug 19, 2026
View all

Join the newsletter

Receive new publications, news, and updates from the Civitas Institute.

Sign up
More on

Politics

Is American Nationalism Still Creed-able?

We are not there now, but there is reason to worry that the United States is in danger, if we are not careful, of ceasing to be a nation with the principles of 1776 at its core.

Richard Samuelson
Politics
Apr 29, 2026
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders

The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.

Politics
Feb 19, 2026
Liberal Democracy Reexamined: Leo Strauss on Alexis de Tocqueville

This article explores Leo Strauss’s thoughts on Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1954 “Natural Right” course transcript.

Raúl Rodríguez
Politics
Feb 25, 2025
Long Distance Migration as a Two-Step Sorting Process: The Resettlement of Californians in Texas

Here we press the question of whether the well-documented stream of migrants relocating from California to Texas has been sufficient to alter the political complexion of the destination state.

James Gimpel, Daron Shaw
Politics
Feb 6, 2025

The Three Whiskey Happy Hour

Steven Hayward brings you the Power Line Blog's perspective on the week's big headlines.

View all
** items
Why ‘Progressive’ Ro Khanna Wants to Lend Money to Billionaires

California's Prop. 40 isn’t just a “tax.”

Jonathan Hartley
Politics
Aug 18, 2026
Proxy Firms Don’t Have to Disclose Conflicts. That Should Change

The firms whose advice can move those votes bear no comparable duty for the advice itself. States can close that gap by applying an enduring standard from the Supreme Court.

Michael Toth
Politics
Aug 17, 2026
Texas May Soon Have More People Than California — Here’s Why

California natives are voting with their feet.

Joel Kotkin
Politics
Aug 16, 2026
California is an American Nightmare – and the Future of the US Left

The once-Golden State is home to the two leading contenders for the 2028 Democratic nomination. It’s also a basketcase

Joel Kotkin
Politics
Aug 16, 2026

Disgraced DEI Professor’s Story Exposes ‘Institutional Rot’ in Universities, Critic Says

Politics
Aug 11, 2026
1:05

DSA Co-Chair Struggles to Explain Millionaire Tax Policy

Politics
Aug 10, 2026
1:05

Bill Maher Torches Dems, Tucker Carlson Builds Third Party

Politics
Aug 7, 2026
1:05

John Yoo Analyzes DOJ Crackdown on Massive COVID-19 Relief Fraud

Politics
Jul 31, 2026
1:05

If Fauci Lies to Congress, He Can be Prosecuted: Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General

Politics
Jul 28, 2026
1:05
No items found.
No items found.
Richard Nixon’s Permanent Counter-Revolution

Instead of giving a “heterodox middle finger to the establishment,” let your message be: “long live the counter-revolution.” 

Ryan Bangert
Politics
Aug 19, 2026
Jimmy Lai: Apostle for Freedom

Jimmy Lai represents the best of what Hong Kong was.

Jonathan Miltimore
Politics
Aug 14, 2026
The Uses and Abuses of the Pardon Power

The recent flood of pardon controversies shows no signs of abating.

Brian C. Kalt
Politics
Aug 13, 2026
The Fall of Fauci

The greater the scope of authority granted to a single individual, by circumstance or deliberate action, the more important scrutiny and accountability become.

Phillip W. Magness, Edward J. Lopez
Politics
Aug 12, 2026
No items found.