Tom Tiffany Well Positioned to Protect Wisconsin Taxpayers Against Costly Climate Suits as Governor

High profile Supreme Court case highlights the dangers and costs of abusive, anti-energy litigation ahead of the midterms.

Wisconsin voters have the opportunity to elect a new governor this November who can counteract the influence of blue-state politicians working to coerce their anti-energy agenda into place nationwide. The timing is crucial given what is up for consideration before the U.S. Supreme Court in the final weeks before the mid-term elections.

As a Republican member of Congress, Tom Tiffany has helped lead the charge against costly climate litigation with legislative measures designed to protect American energy companies from shakedown campaigns. As Wisconsin’s next governor, Tiffany could be even better positioned to end abusive litigation practices that put America at a competitive disadvantage. But first, he will need to prevail against David Crowley, the Democrat nominee who has served as Milwaukee County executive since 2020.

Like outgoing Gov. Tony Evers (D), Crowley favors costly "net-zero" policies that rely heavily on wind and solar energy. In May 2025, Crowley signed off on the "Carbon-Neutral Action Plan for the County"—an initiative that aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across Milwaukee County by 2050. Crowley’s net-zero scheme is forecast to cost the county government—and by extension the taxpayers—$441 million. By contrast, Tiffany has sought to insulate taxpayers and the energy sector from expensive climate initiatives during his time in Congress. This matters now more than ever because the Supreme Court in Suncor v. County Commissioners of Boulder County could potentially unleash an unprecedented wave of climate litigation.

If the plaintiffs prevail, one city, county, or state could potentially have leverage to impose their regulatory preferences onto the rest of the country. In Colorado, the city of Boulder is attempting to extract damages from energy companies under the specious claim that they contribute to harmful global warming. The goal, it seems, is to create vast national and even international revenue streams for climate activists that could permanently hobble the most reliable and affordable forms of energy. Blue state climate activists, like Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) of California, could be in a position to set energy policies across the United States. A Gov. Tom Tiffany assuming a pro-energy stance in a critical swing state like Wisconsin could then serve as a key bulwark against blue state climate activism if Suncor goes sideways. For this reason, it is worth highlighting what the Republican candidate for governor of Wisconsin has attempted to accomplish while representing the Badger State’s seventh congressional district.

Putting the Lid on Abusive Litigation Practices

Tiffany co-sponsored the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026 (H.R. 8330), which would prohibit retroactive climate liability lawsuits and dismiss pending lawsuits on the day it is enacted. The bill directly applies to the arguments in Suncor, as it would void state energy penalty laws while also reaffirming the federal government’s ability to exercise exclusive authority and jurisdiction to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

As Restoration News has previously reported, there is a national security component tied in with Tiffany’s effort to put the lid on abusive litigation practices. Several of the climate activist groups organizing the lawsuits against American energy companies are suspected foreign agents of Communist China. The Stop Climate Shakedowns Act could help to protect American energy companies from relentless legal attacks that benefit foreign adversaries. But it is just one of several bills Tiffany has backed that voters should become better acquainted with during the gubernatorial campaign.

Another one would be the Fixing Egregiously Expensive Suits Act, or FEES Act, Tiffany co-sponsored earlier this year with his long-time ally Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY), who is now running for the U.S. Senate. The FEES Act would enact long-overdue reforms to the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), which passed in 1980 for the purpose of helping average Americans stand up against federal overreach. EAJA was designed to protect veterans, Social Security recipients, small business owners, and others from prohibitive legal costs when taking action against the federal government. But what has happened instead is that well-funded environmental organizations have transformed EAJA into a tool for taxpayer-funded litigation to serve their political agenda. Tiffany notes in a July press release:

EAJA was enacted to give veterans, small businesses, and everyday Americans a fair shot at challenging government overreach. Instead, it has become a cash machine for well-funded environmental groups that sue federal agencies and stick taxpayers with the bill. The FEES Act shuts down that gravy train and returns EAJA to the people it was meant to serve.

The International Reach of Climate Litigation 

The other piece worth mentioning here is one that is aimed against the International Court of Justice (ICJ), an arm of the United Nations (UN). Tiffany, once again in partnership with Hageman, introduced the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act (HR 8282) in September 2025 for the purpose of protecting national sovereignty. The bill would insulate American taxpayers from attempts by international courts to impose climate change reparations on the United States. That threat is very real since the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution in March 2023 asking that the ICJ issue an advisory opinion on U.S. obligations under international law regarding climate change. The ICJ issued its opinion in July 2025. Although it is nonbinding, the ICJ opinion could provide climate activist politicians like Crowley with added leverage to assault American energy.

Recent polls show Crowley with a narrow lead over Tiffany in a race that has huge implications not just for Wisconsin taxpayers and energy consumers, but for the entire country. With a critical Supreme Court decision looming next year that could empower climate litigators, the importance of having an ally of taxpayers back in the Wisconsin governor’s mansion is evident.

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