Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar on Oct. 3, 2022, at the Lower Neches Valley Authority in Beaumont.

BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink. BlackRock made Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s list of oil industry boycotters, but other big financial companies, such as JPMorgan Chase did not.

Pumpjacks operate next to large wind turbines July 8, 2022, near Midland.

Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick signals during the last day of the regular session, May 29, 2023.

The American Sustainable Business Council has asked a federal judge to overturn a Texas law that blacklists companies for fighting climate change by denying them government contracts, an authoritarian blow against free enterprise, free speech and freedom of conscience.

The complaint filed in Austin on Thursday argues that 2021’s Senate Bill 13 was designed to boost investment in fossil fuel companies and violates businesses’ First Amendment prohibition against discrimination based on viewpoint and the 14th Amendment right to due process.

The council, representing thousands of businesses and investors, filed the suit on behalf of financial technology firms Etho Capital and Sphere, which prioritize environmentally responsible investing. The blacklist prohibits them from expanding business in Texas.

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“Laws like SB 13 not only inhibit economic growth and innovation but also set a dangerous precedent for the role of government in........

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