Letter: Thanks to Indiana GOP for standing up to ESG movement

Thank you to Indiana House Republicans for joining the chorus of states across the nation standing up against the anti-American ESG movement, otherwise known as Environmental, Social, and Governance investing. 

Under House Bill 1008, authored by Rep. Ethan Manning (R-Logansport), the state of Indiana will no longer invest in companies that boycott or divest from reliable energy, Hoosier farmers, or gun manufacturers without cause. This legislation protects not only the energy sources which keep our lights on but also the farmers who keep us nourished and protection of our Second Amendment rights. 

Indiana is one winter storm or hot summer away from joining numerous states that experience rolling blackouts when Americans needs heat or air conditioning the most. Over the past few years, energy experts such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation have warned state lawmakers and utility commissioners that the electrical grid is at risk of having insufficient energy supplies during severe weather events. Denying capital to responsible American energy producers simply because of their industry has many negative consequences, including weakening the electrical grid by cutting reliable power sources.

Sadly, American agriculture has fallen into ESG’s crosshairs, too. This industry is already heavily regulated at the state and federal level. ESG policies from financial institutions and large corporations place an immense and unworkable burden on small, Hoosier family farms. 

I believe state policies should be decided by the men and women elected to represent residents of the Hoosier state, rather than the Biden Administration and the banking institutions that have caved into such policies that prevent lending and financing to important state industries.

Jeff Tillman, Evansville