Hawaiian Punch: Knocking Corporate Cash Out of Climate Politics 🌺

— Written by Hana Leshner

🌊 Sinking the Super PACs

Citizens United is a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that gave corporations the green light to spend unlimited, anonymous money to influence elections—unleashing a toxic flood of "dark money" that shields the identities of wealthy political donors. Before this ruling, bipartisan momentum around climate solutions was actually building. Right after, fossil fuel giants poured tens of millions into campaign networks, successfully scaring lawmakers into silence with the threat of negative ad blitzes.  Dark money election spending as skyrocketed with dark money groups spending a record-shattering $1.9 billion on the 2024 federal election.

Hawaii just decided to clean up its own backyard. Governor Josh Green signed S.B. 2471 to target this political pollution at the source. This is a corporate power reset. Instead of trying to regulate speech—which courts hate—the law dictates that the legal privileges granted to a corporation simply do not include the capacity to spend money on elections. If a business tries to buy political influence on the islands, its legal status is deemed ultra vires (beyond its legal authority) and immediately revoked.

⛰️ Shifting Tides and the Legal Horizon

Hawaii is not the only state trying to shift the scenery. The Montana Supreme Court recently dismissed a constitutional challenge to a similar proposal called The Montana Plan. Organizers say they have gathered the required signatures, and the initiative is now undergoing official certification to get on the ballot for November.

The hunger for structural change is clear. A recent Issue One opinion poll confirms that a massive, multi-partisan majority of voters wants strict limits on campaign cash. Across party lines, Americans are tired of feeling like their democracy has been hijacked by billionaire checkbooks. Still, any pioneering law like this faces a grueling courtroom war. Ultimately, this battle will likely wind its way back up to the Supreme Court, and it remains entirely unclear how the justices might rule when confronted with this new state-level strategy.

🔍 Dig in to Dark Money & Climate

If you want to dig more into the impacts of dark money on climate policy, check out these resources to go deeper:

• Sammy Roth’s reporting: A hot-off-the press, deep-dive into how anonymous cash is influencing high-stakes Colorado River negotiations.

• Penn’s research on denialism: An investigation into the funding networks that keep climate denial active and mainstream.

• NRDC’s breakdown of campaign lies: An eye-opening look at the common tactics Big Oil uses to spread misinformation during election cycles.

🎙️ What We’re Tuning Into This Week

• The Apocalyptic Optimist — Naomi Oreskes: To wrap your head around the corporate greed and misuse of power that keeps environmental progress locked in a legislative chokehold, queue up our recent interview with Harvard historian Dr. Naomi Oreskes on The Apocalyptic Optimist with Dr. Dana R. Fisher.

• On the Rise w/ Marcius Extavour: Because sometimes you absolutely have to laugh to keep from crying, check out the official launch of On the Rise. Hosted by Dr. Marcius Extavour—a quantum physicist, clean energy expert, and former XPRIZE Chief Scientist—Episode 1, “A Scientist and a Comedian Walk Into a Bar...”, features comedy writer and performer Ashley Botting. Watch the video version on YouTube, grab the audio on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and read the behind-the-scenes scoop on their Substack.

• Soil to Stream: Regenerative agriculture is the practice of restoring soil health to trap carbon and heal the water cycle. Water Hub’s new documentary follows fifth-generation Nebraska farmer Graham Christensen as he puts these practices to the test on his family land, questioning if regenerative farming can solve water contamination and soil erosion for good. Watch the Soil to Stream documentary on YouTube, check out Christensen Farms, and see how The Water Hub is sharing hopeful stories about our most precious resource.