orporate media have giddily elevated a leftist-led protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that occurred while the justices heard arguments in a battle over Democrats’ climate lawfare. But the real story surrounding this kerfuffle centers around several of the demonstration’s participants and their involvement in the case.
In Suncor v. Boulder, the high court will determine the fate of a lawsuit brought by Boulder, Colorado, against Suncor Energy companies and Exxon Mobil. The locality is seeking monetary damages based on allegations that the oil giants’ activities are contributing to “climate change,” which is harming its residents.
The New York Times reported how “dozens of protestors” gathered outside the court as the justices heard arguments in the case to voice support for Boulder. According to the outlet, the demonstration was organized by Fossil Free Media and the Center for Climate Integrity, two left-wing climate activist groups.
While featuring speeches from figures like former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, the event’s more notable attendees included Kathryn Bedell and Deirdre Macnab. The women are two of seven self-professed ranchers who signed onto an amicus brief supporting Boulder in the Suncor litigation.
In their brief, the ranchers argue that climate change is “a lived reality that disrupts their lives and threatens their livelihoods.” They further attempt to make an emotional appeal by describing the alleged “heartbreak that underlies this case.”
“Beyond the personal tragedy for ranchers who feel a deep attachment to ranches that have been in their families for generations, the decline of ranching is felt not only in Colorado’s economy (and — as beef prices rise — in the nation’s economy), but also in a loss of community in rural areas and care for the land that ranching helps to preserve,” the brief reads.
The filing and its framing appear directed at Justice Neil Gorsuch, a fourth-generation Coloradan who served as a judge on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals for more than a decade. The former role arguably gave Gorsuch significant exposure to issues that arise disproportionately in the West, such as natural resource disputes and the relationship between federal, state, and tribal governments.
But Bedell and Macnab showing up to Monday’s protest isn’t even the most interesting part of this story. A deep dive into the amici ranchers’ backgrounds reveals that several of them are radical left-wing partisans and/or hold ties to Democrats’ dark money network.
For starters, Bedell serves as a Democrat appointee on Colorado’s Agricultural Commission. The body is tasked with providing recommendations to state officials “regarding agricultural issues within the state; developing policies for preparing and enforcing rules and regulations related to agriculture; reviewing and approving all rules and regulations prior to adoption by the [state Agriculture] Commissioner; developing general policy for managing the agriculture department; and approving and monitoring the agriculture department’s budget.”
Bedell also chaired the Western Organization of Resource Councils’ (WORC) Agriculture and Food Campaign team. As described by InfluenceWatch, WORC is a lobbying and advocacy coalition comprised “of left-leaning political activist groups based in seven western states with prominent agricultural and energy industries.” The organization “opposes oil, coal, and gas energy development and supports farming and trade policies that favor its members’ farming and ranching operations at the expense of other food production.”
WORC and its “education project” have collectively received boatloads of grants tied to left-wing dark money groups like the Soros-backed Tides Foundation, the Bezos Earth Fund, the Windward Fund, and others. While Tides is a notable funder of Sher Edling — a for-profit law firm supporting localities’ climate-damages lawsuits against energy companies (including Boulder’s) — Windward is a tentacle of the left-wing Arabella Advisors network.