Arkansas A.G.: ESG Is Just Banks Trying to Meet Biden’s Policy Goals

On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria,” Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge (R) stated that the Biden administration bears responsibility for ESG practices of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance because the banks in the alliance are attempting to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate that the Biden administration joined.

Host Maria Bartiromo asked, “[I]sn’t this all coming from the Democrats and the Biden administration? I mean, let’s face it, the Biden administration has a whole-of-government approach here to ESG. It’s pretty much discouraging banking of fossil fuel companies, it’s discouraging leases, and then it’s complaining that it’s the oil companies’ [fault] for gasoline prices where they are.”

Rutledge responded, “Well, you’re spot-on Maria. And what we are seeing with this Net-Zero Banking Alliance through the U.N. is that these companies are hoping to put into place the Paris Agreement that President Trump got rid of on day one, unfortunately, President Biden put it back into place. They’re wanting to take the companies that invest — that work with these banks all the way to zero emissions by 2050. They’re wanting to put in this liberal woke agenda through our banks. We want these banks to focus more on banking regulations. We have way too many banking regulations they should be focused on. All I hear from bankers are complaints about the CFPB regulations strangleholding them. Well, now, these six banks are looking to stranglehold all sorts of other businesses over environmental regulations that have nothing to do with these banks other than wanting to push this liberal woke agenda and shove the Paris Agreement down the throats of American businesses.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett