Hawaii’s Climate Lawsuit is a Costly Political Stunt—Not a Solution!

By Dennis J. Leskovec, Contributor, Hawaii News Hoku

While Governor Josh Green and Attorney General Anne Lopez grandstand against “Big Oil,” the Trump administration is doing something far more courageous: defending the Constitution, the economy, and every working-class American who can’t afford $8-a-gallon fantasies about a carbon-free utopia.Hawaii’s lawsuit against seven fossil fuel companies, including household names like Chevron and Shell, isn’t just misguided—it’s a blatant overreach of state power, weaponizing the courtroom for political theater. The Department of Justice’s response is warranted. States do not get to act as their own EPA, nor should they get a free pass to rewrite federal energy policy from a local bench.Let’s be clear: fossil fuels still power over 80% of the world’s energy. The very jets that brought in tourists and the helicopters used in Maui wildfire rescues? Powered by petroleum. The lawsuits claim oil companies lied. But what did they lie about—that gasoline burns? That carbon emissions exist? We’ve known that for decades. If there’s deception, it lies in the empty promises from climate alarmists who push policies that decimate energy independence and spike utility costs.Even worse is the exploitation of the Maui tragedy to score legal points. It is deeply irresponsible to claim with certainty that climate change—rather than human error, HECO mismanagement, or outdated infrastructure—was the definitive cause of the fires. That’s not justice. That’s deflection.And here’s the kicker: by punishing energy companies, Hawaii risks higher fuel prices, fewer jobs, and less energy security. Who suffers most? The local families already struggling with the highest cost of living in the nation—not the billionaires flying in on private jets to sip eco-conscious cocktails while lobbying for climate justice.Attorney General Lopez calls the Trump DOJ’s intervention “disturbing.” What’s truly disturbing is a state government so blinded by ideology that it’s willing to sue the very industry keeping its lights on, all while pretending this doesn’t affect the average resident.The Trump administration is simply reminding the states that national energy policy is not a choose-your-own-adventure novel. It’s about balance, sovereignty, and the right of Americans to heat their homes and fill their tanks without getting fleeced by lawyers and ideologues.In the end, this lawsuit isn’t about protecting the environment. It’s about virtue-signaling, headlines, and harvesting jury awards. If Hawaii’s leaders want real solutions, they should invest in local resilience, grid modernization, and affordable innovation—not court cases that make attorneys rich and taxpayers poorer.