Longtime polluters and climate change deniers, the Koch brothers’ list of infractions against our planet grows daily. Over the years, Koch Industries has seen employees charged with felonies and accumulated more than $90 million in fines and settlements from environmental violations. So now, logically, Koch Industries is joining an environmental legal battle against… children. Yes, you read that right.
According to MSNBC,
The unusual case began back in August when a group of “youth plaintiffs” (ages 8 to 19) sued the federal government, arguing that weak action on climate change is a violation of their right to life, liberty and property. They demanded that President Obama act more swiftly to slash the emissions that cause global warming. They sued for themselves but also for “future generations,” a group whose “guardian” is listed as James Hansen, the former chief climate scientist for NASA.
On Thursday, representatives of ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Koch Industries, and hundreds of other users, producers and refiners of fossil fuel filed a joint motion to intervene. Fearing “massive societal changes” and an “unprecedented restructuring of the economy,” they asked a district judge in Eugene, Oregon to let them join the Obama administration in fighting the lawsuit.
One of the core concerns the children cite is losing space to play outside, such as swimming holes:
Some of the young people’s complaints are lofty and intellectual, and others reflect basic childhood interests like the health of a local swimming hole. They span childhoods in Oregon, Colorado, Florida, Arizona, Washington state, Hawaii, New York, Alaska, Pennsylvania and Louisiana. All are treated as equal violations of the U.S. government’s fundamental responsibility to protect its citizens today, and provide for a healthy tomorrow.
Being able to play outside and swim without fear of health problems like asthma, or even cancer, should be a basic right, but unfortunately, as MSNBC notes, the suit likely won’t be a winner against big oil and the Kochs.
Although originally unnamed in the case, the Kochs have deep ties with several of the trade groups involved including the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and the National Associated of Manufacturers (NAM). Koch Industries’ executive vice president of operations excellence and compliance, James Mahoney, was also the AFPM’s chairman in 2012. The same year, the Koch group,Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce also gave $1.17 million to NAM.
Even without these connections, their track record makes it unlikely the Kochs would have stood by to allow future generations to stop them from destroying the environment. Their recent campaign for criminal justice reform stems from the same motivations. The Kochs don’t care about helping fix our broken justice system; instead they realize that making changes will allow them to continue to break environmental law while facing less severe consequences.
Their involvement in this case, which notably came voluntarily since they aren’t a party in the suit, proves it once again: the Kochs’ greed knows no bounds — even if that means children losing their right to play outside.