A conservative group is urging Rep. Jim Jordan to subpoena the Environmental Law Institute as part of a climate lawsuit probe, citing a court filing that allegedly reveals undisclosed coordination on scientific evidence.
Group Alleges Coordination from Court Filing
In a letter last week, the American Energy Institute asked the House Judiciary Committee chairman to investigate the institute’s Climate Judiciary Project (CJP). The request stems from a Sept. 12 court filing in the Multnomah County v.
ExxonMobil filing, which the group claims shows evidence of “judicial manipulation.“
American Energy Institute CEO Jason Isaac stated, “This new evidence raises serious red flags about the credibility of both the so-called science being used in climate lawsuits and the judicial training programs behind the bench.“
Details of Roger Worthington Climate Study Involvement
The filing by Chevron Corporation alleges that “one of the plaintiffs’ lead attorneys, Roger Worthington, had undisclosed involvement in at least two so-called scientific studies that the county is presenting as independent, peer-reviewed evidence.” One draft version of a study reportedly “acknowledged funding from the Climate Judiciary Project… but that disclosure was inexplicably removed from the final publication.“
Drafts labeled “DO NOT DISTRIBUTE” and a pre-publication draft of a CJP judicial training module were discovered on Worthington’s law firm website. This has prompted “serious questions about how and why a plaintiffs’ attorney had early access to, and possibly editorial influence over, materials being presented to state and federal judges as ‘neutral’ science,” Isaac said.
Climate Lawsuit Probe Questions Judicial Neutrality
The American Energy Institute’s letter is part of an ongoing House Judiciary Committee probe into climate advocacy litigation. Isaac argued that while “the Environmental Law Institute has claimed neutrality, yet documents suggest coordination with plaintiffs’ counsel who stand to profit from the outcomes.“
“If the same lawyers suing energy companies are shaping the studies and educating the judges, that is not justice; it is manipulation,” Isaac added. This development follows a letter from 23 Republican attorneys general last month urging the EPA to cancel funding for the Environmental Law Institute.
Environmental Law Institute Denies Allegations
The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) has denied the allegations. Spokesman Nick Collins stated, “ELI did not fund the Nature study, and the Climate Judiciary Project has not coordinated with Mr.
Worthington.”
Collins explained that the CJP’s mission is to provide evidence-based continuing education and it “does not participate in or provide support for litigation.” He described the curriculum as “fact-based and science-first, grounded in consensus reports and developed with a robust peer review process.“
Calls for Jim Jordan Environmental Law Institute Subpoena
The American Energy Institute is formally requesting that Rep. Jordan issue a subpoena for the institute’s records.
The group has asked for communications, draft documents, funding agreements, and editorial notes related to the scientific studies and CJP curriculum.
Isaac insists that ELI and Roger Worthington must answer questions about their involvement. He concluded, “Judges and the public deserve to know whether the courtroom is being quietly shaped by coordinated climate advocacy posing as neutral expertise.“
