Radical environmental activists have been operating in the shadows for years.
One ambitious scheme just got dragged into the light.
And five states just exposed environmental groups for this one shocking scheme.
Conservative coalition targets coordinated environmental pressure
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier teamed up with Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Montana to launch an investigation into three powerful environmental organizations that have been pressuring American corporations to adopt restrictive recycling standards for years.¹
The coalition is targeting the Consumer Goods Forum, the Green Blue Institute, and the U.S. Plastics Pact for allegedly violating state and federal antitrust laws through coordinated market manipulation.
"Radical environmental activists do not have the right, nor the avenue, to suppress business operations in our market," Uthmeier stated.²
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/1983632238421172259
The attorneys general aren't pulling any punches here.
They believe these groups have spent years pushing major corporations to collectively define which materials count as "recyclable" and setting uniform production targets that strangle competition.
This investigation follows a pattern. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton already sued BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street in November 2024 for allegedly using their massive shareholdings in coal companies to cut production and drive up energy prices.³
That case is still moving through federal court, with the judge refusing to dismiss it.
The Trump Administration's Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission filed statements supporting Paxton's lawsuit, calling it part of "an unlawful left-wing ideological scheme."⁴
Environmental coordination raises serious legal questions
The five attorneys general sent letters demanding these environmental groups explain how their coordinated activities comply with antitrust laws and provide all supporting documentation.⁵
Uthmeier warned that when organizations work together to pressure businesses into adopting identical standards across entire industries, that's not environmental activism – that's market manipulation.
"We will not allow these activist organizations to push misguided policies that can't win at the ballot box and inflate prices for Florida consumers," Uthmeier said.⁶
The coalition argues these groups have effectively created a cartel by pressuring corporations to adopt matching plastic production standards and packaging requirements.
When major companies all agree to follow the same restrictive rules about what materials they'll use and how they'll package products, competition dies and consumer costs spike.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson made the Trump Administration's position crystal clear when discussing similar ESG coordination: "These companies allegedly blocked the production of American coal in the name of climate change scaremongering."⁷
The pattern is obvious.
Environmental groups coordinate with each other and major corporations to impose standards that hurt smaller competitors who can't afford to comply.
Pattern of environmental antitrust enforcement expands
This investigation represents a major escalation in Republican state attorneys general going after environmental coordination that crosses the line into illegal collusion.
Ken Paxton pioneered this strategy when his office threatened Wells Fargo with an antitrust lawsuit unless they dropped their climate commitments.⁸
Paxton's deputy bragged about the tactic at a private gathering, explaining how Texas cut off lucrative bond business to Wells Fargo and threatened litigation until the bank quit the Net Zero Banking Alliance.
"You guys might be next," Paxton's team warned Wells Fargo executives. The bank left the climate alliance within a week, and other major banks followed.⁹
The Trump Administration is backing these efforts.
President Donald Trump declared a national energy emergency and directed federal agencies to unleash American energy dominance.
DOJ Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater explained the new enforcement priority: "We will not hesitate to stand up against powerful financial firms that use Americans' retirement savings to harm competition under the guise of ESG."¹⁰
This Florida-led investigation into recycling standards is part of that broader push.
The House Judiciary Committee released reports in 2024 finding "evidence of collusion" between "left-wing activists and major financial institutions" to impose ESG goals on American companies.¹¹
Over 60 U.S.-based asset managers received demands for information about their involvement with climate initiatives, causing many to withdraw from groups like the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative.
Uthmeier and his coalition partners are applying the same pressure to environmental groups coordinating on recycling and packaging standards.
The attorneys general suspect these organizations are using collective action to force companies into agreements that reduce output, limit material choices, and drive up prices – all while claiming they're just promoting sustainability.
If companies were caught doing this without environmental cover, regulators would shut it down instantly.
The question these five states are asking is simple: why should coordination be legal just because it's wrapped in green messaging?
The investigation could take months to determine whether these groups "unfairly benefited certain corporations or misled consumers about the true costs and impacts of their so-called 'sustainable' packaging goals."¹²
BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street all quit major climate initiatives after facing similar scrutiny, with BlackRock leaving the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative in January 2025.¹³
That pattern suggests environmental groups coordinating market behavior know they're on shaky legal ground when state attorneys general start asking questions.
¹ "Uthmeier Announces Investigation Against Environmental Groups Over Alleged Antitrust Violations," The Floridian, October 29, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ "Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard," Texas Attorney General, November 27, 2024.
⁴ "FTC and DOJ File Statement of Interest in Energy Collusion Case," Federal Trade Commission, May 22, 2025.
⁵ "Uthmeier Announces Investigation Against Environmental Groups," The Floridian, October 29, 2025.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ "DOJ backs ESG lawsuit filed by GOP states," BenefitsPRO, May 27, 2025.
⁸ "How Texas Bullied Big Banks Into Dropping Their Climate Commitments," Rolling Stone, July 15, 2025.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ "FTC and DOJ File Statement of Interest," Federal Trade Commission, May 22, 2025.
¹¹ "These Companies Are Aligning with Trump's Anti-Climate Agenda," Earth.org, March 20, 2025.
¹² "Uthmeier Announces Investigation," The Floridian, October 29, 2025.
¹³ "These Companies Are Aligning with Trump's Anti-Climate Agenda," Earth.org, March 20, 2025.
