Michael Copley
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The group said the law punished companies for their investment decisions or for speaking out about climate risks.
Texas Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock said the state will appeal the ruling.
In 2021, Texas lawmakers prohibited state retirement funds for investing or contracting with firms that limit their exposure to fossil fuel companies or that take any action to hurt the industry.
District Judge Alan Albright in Austin ruled the law as unconstitutional because it violates the rights to free speech and to due process.
The case was brought by the American Sustainable Business Council.
The group said the law punished companies for their investment decisions or for speaking out about climate risks.
Texas Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock said the state will appeal the ruling.
During the government shutdown last fall, the Energy Department announced it was canceling more than $7 billion in grants that it said don't address the country's energy needs and aren't economically viable.
Critics said the move was aimed at punishing Democratic-leaning states during a political fight.
District Judge Ahmet Mehta has ruled the Energy Department violated the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees equal protection under the law.
The ruling applies to seven grants, totaling $27.6 million, some of which was earmarked for electric vehicle charging programs.
The Energy Department didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
No hurricanes made landfall in the U.S.
last year, but disaster costs still exceeded $100 billion for the fourth time in five years.
According to Climate Central, a climate science and communications nonprofit,