Senate Republicans on Monday introduced legislation that would bar Democrat states from punishing American energy producers via “climate lawfare,” contending that the Democrat laws amount to nothing more than a “climate shakedown.”

In April, Breitbart News reported many Democrat states are increasingly adopting legislation that would allow insurers to sue oil and natural gas companies for disaster-related laws. Critics of the law believe these proposals would penalize energy producers at a time where lower energy costs are needed more than ever.

To stop these laws, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ted Budd (R-NC), and Mike Lee (R-UT), as well as Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY), introduced the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act, a bill that they believe would stop this Democrat “climate lawfare.” The legislation would bar frivolous climate lawsuits against American energy producers from being brought in either federal or state courts.

It also would void any energy penalty law and preempt states’ attempts to regulate interstate and global emissions.

Lee said in a statement, “America’s energy producers take hit after hit from climate extremists who target them with excessive lawsuits. Our bill will stop the climate shakedown and end lawfare against the energy workers keeping America’s lights on.”

“The American people deserve access to reliable, affordable energy. No country in the world does that better than right here in the U.S., but our domestic energy producers are constantly under attack, with climate activists weaponizing our court system,” Budd explained. “I stand with Senator Cruz to end climate lawfare suits that only seek to harm U.S. energy producers and instead props up radicalized ‘green’ energy ideals.”

“Radical environmental groups have waged a coordinated campaign to weaponize our judicial system against American energy producers, including many in Texas,” Cruz remarked.

“They’re using meritless lawsuits to bankrupt our energy industry, kill good paying jobs, and drive up the cost of electricity and gasoline for hardworking families,” Cruz continued. “I am proud to lead this bill to stop that abuse to protect American jobs, lower energy costs, and defend American energy dominance.”

“Energy security is national security, and we will not self-sabotage our critical industries with a cascade of costly lawsuits and extreme penalties that jeopardize American drilling. America’s energy producers should be protected from the dangerous legal precedent that would be set by the retroactive punishment of lawful activity,” Hageman said.

American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President and CEO Chet Thompson issued a joint statement thanking the lawmakers for introducing the legislation.

“We thank Senator Cruz and Rep. Hageman for introducing legislation to stop a growing patchwork of state laws and lawsuits that threaten American energy and risk raising costs for consumers,” they said in a joint statement.

API and AFPM noted that more than 30 lawsuit are moving through courts as part of a coordinated effort to target American energy producers, contending that global emissions are a federal, not state, issue. They say that New York and Vermont’s “climate superfund” laws are facing challenges from the Justice Department, a coalition of states, and industry organizations. The energy groups argued that more than ten states are considering similar legislation, which may threaten to raise energy prices.

“These efforts to retroactively penalize companies for lawfully meeting consumer demand are misguided and counterproductive. Congress should act decisively to reaffirm federal authority over national energy policy and end this activist-driven state overreach,” the AFPM and API executives concluded in their statement.