Economy

Conservative group turns to states to block ‘debanking’

The latest front in the anti-ESG culture wars seeks to protect firearm, petrochemical makers.
A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pumpjacks operate in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas, Oct. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Conservatives battling against the environmental and social justice movement have opened a new front to ensure that the financial spigot stays on for controversial industries that risk being cut off from the economy by the progressive movement.

For years, conservative groups fought a trend among corporate America known as environmental, social and governance investing, or ESG. ESG criteria have become a trend among many major corporations and banks that apply non-fiduciary criteria to potential investments. Those criteria, like addressing climate change, typically align with Democratic priorities. 

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