Sen. Cruz Critiques Climate Prosecution Proposal
On Wednesday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz took aim at a witness who suggested that oil companies should be held liable for deaths related to climate change. The witness, David Arkush, who directs the Public Citizens’ Climate Program, recently authored a paper titled “Climate murder: prosecuting large oil for climate death.” He appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held a hearing focused on U.S. energy regulations and China.
Cruz questioned Arkush about his paper, directly asking if he believes fossil fuel executives should face murder charges. “You claim that oil and gas executives should not only face lawsuits but also criminal charges for murder related to climate change, is that correct?” Cruz inquired.
Arkush confirmed that Cruz’s understanding was accurate, yet he aimed to clarify his stance. “Murder is a technical term,” he explained. “And we certainly aren’t suggesting they could be charged with first-degree murder; it’s more about intentional harm.” This seemed to raise more questions than it answered for Cruz.
Cruz responded, “So your view is that it’s rational and reasonable to arrest those leading American energy companies—who are responsible for creating millions of jobs—on murder charges?” Arkush indicated that some energy executives might indeed face prosecutions in this context.
“It’s a rather bizarre idea,” Cruz remarked. He then drew attention to legislation he introduced aimed at protecting liquefied natural gas (LNG) development from legal challenges that could jeopardize ongoing projects. The 2025 Protection Act would prevent federal courts from canceling LNG permits already approved, require cases to be heard in the local federal courts where the facilities are being built, and impose a tight 90-day timeline for legal challenges to arise.
Environmental groups have consistently opposed LNG facilities, frequently bringing lawsuits against them. Additionally, the Biden administration had temporarily halted approval for new LNG export terminals in early 2024.
The U.S. LNG industry has grown significantly over recent years, becoming a leader in global LNG exports after once being projected to be a net importer in 2010, according to S&P Global.
