The latest attack on oil and gas comes in Vermont, where the Democrats, who control the state legislature by a supermajority, forced through a bill to “hold Big Oil accountable” for what they say is the devastating impact of climate change.

The new law requires oil and gas companies to foot the bill for mitigating the alleged harms of global warming. The funds will more likely go to all kinds of crazy projects that put money in the pockets of out-of-work environmental activists and trial lawyers.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott – who allowed the bill to take effect without his signature – called it a “sad day for Vermonters who simply cannot afford further tax burdens and cost increases.”

The AP reports that Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York are already preparing to follow Vermont.

Meanwhile, there are now 32 cases filed by state attorneys general, cities, counties, and tribal nations against companies including Exxon Mobil, BP, and Shell. The lawsuits claim that the industry tried to undermine scientific consensus about the crisis or failed to disclose the impact their activities would have on the environment.

These sham laws and lawsuits hope to turn oil companies into cash cows similar to the tobacco lawsuits 20 years ago. This could bring about the abolition of fossil fuels through the back door of the nation’s state legislatures and courthouses.

But what none of these judges or legislators take into account is the catastrophic economic effects of NOT using fossil fuels. What about the millions of jobs that would be wiped out with no fossil fuels? How many thousands of Americans would die in hospitals, assisted living centers, daycare centers, or schools if the HVAC went out because there were no fossil fuels to keep them running?