10 States Sue BlackRock, State Street, & Vanguard for Illegal Manipulation of Energy Markets

A coalition of 10 states have joined Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on a lawsuit against BlackRock, State Street Corporation, and Vanguard Group, three of the largest institutional investors in the world, for conspiring to artificially constrict the market for coal through anticompetitive trade practices.

These three powerful investment firms, BlackRock Inc. (ticker: BLK), Vanguard and State Street Corp. (STT), own a staggeringly high amount of the U.S. stock market.

Over several years, the three asset managers acquired substantial stockholdings in every significant publicly held coal producer in the United States, thereby gaining the power to control the policies of the coal companies.

Using their combined influence over the coal market, the investment cartel collectively announced in 2021 their commitment to weaponize their shares to pressure the coal companies to accommodate “green energy” goals. To achieve this, the investment companies pushed to reduce coal output by more than half by 2030.

Blackrock, Vanguard, and State Street:

● utilized the Climate Action 100 and the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative to signal their mutual intent to reduce the output of thermal coal.

● Predictably, this increased the cost of electricity for Americans across the United States.

● These firms deceived thousands of investors who elected to invest in non-ESG funds to maximize their profits. Yet these funds pursued ESG strategies notwithstanding the defendants’ representations to the contrary.

● Deliberately and artificially constricting supply increased prices and enabled the investment companies to produce extraordinary revenue gains.

This conspiracy violated multiple federal laws that prevent a major shareholder, or a group of shareholders, from using their shares to lessen competition or engaging in other anticompetitive schemes. Further, the companies broke Texas antitrust and deceptive trade practices laws.

“Texas will not tolerate the illegal weaponization of the financial industry in service of a destructive, politicized ‘environmental’ agenda. BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street formed a cartel to rig the coal market, artificially reduce the energy supply, and raise prices,” said Texas Attorney General Paxton. “Their conspiracy has harmed American energy production and hurt consumers. This is a stunning violation of State and federal law.”

The Buzbee Law Firm and Cooper & Kirk are serving as outside counsel.

In 2023, Vivek Ramaswamy warned investors by calling these three investment firms the “most powerful cartel in human history.”

Ramaswamy argued that together they control over $20 trillion in assets, have amassed so much power that they are now able to dictate the terms of the global economy.

“These firms are not just passive investors,” Ramaswamy wrote. “They are active market makers, and they use their power to influence the prices of stocks, bonds, and other assets.”

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