Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Berkshire Hathaway demonstrates active opposition to science-aligned climate policy in the US at the state and federal level. Several of its subsidiaries, including Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE), have advocated to delay the energy transition in the US through targeted opposition to state-level distributed renewable energy policy and federal standards for power plant decarbonization. The company is a board-level member, via its subsidiaries, of the American Gas Association and the Natural Gas Supply Association, both of which strategically oppose US climate policy.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Berkshire Hathaway appears to have limited top-line messaging on climate policy. In its 2024 Annual Report, released in February 2025, Berkshire Hathaway recognized some of the science of climate change. In the same report, it referenced the Paris Agreement, but did not take a clear position on the treaty.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: Berkshire Hathaway appears to take mixed positions on climate-related policy. In a September 2024 response to Canada’s 2025 Federal Pre-Budget Consultation, the company’s subsidiary Altalink emphasized the need to ensure affordability and reliability against decarbonization under the Canadian Clean Electricity Regulations. In April 2024 comments to the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Future of Gas docket, Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary MidAmerican Energy advocated for the use of Inflation Reduction Act incentives to further energy efficiency in Illinois.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Berkshire Hathaway and its subsidiaries appear to take negative positions on the transition of the energy mix, with advocacy centering on protecting fossil fuel infrastructure and limiting the deployment of renewable energy.
Berkshire’s subsidiaries advocate actively at the US state level. In a March 2025 lobbyist declaration, subsidiary MidAmerican Energy supported HF 860 in Iowa, which would preempt any local or state legislation restricting the use or sale of fossil fuel-powered equipment. In a February 2025 declaration, MidAmerican Energy opposed HF 404 in Iowa, which would have established a community solar program in the state. In a February 2024 declaration, MidAmerican successfully opposed a different bill to establish a community solar program in Iowa, Senate Study Bill 3180. Another subsidiary, NV Energy, opposed legislation to establish net metering for distributed solar projects in Nevada in April 2025 testimony to the Nevada House and in May 2025 testimony to the Nevada Senate. Furthermore, in February 2025 comments to the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Future of Gas docket, MidAmerican Energy appeared to emphasize economic concerns with reducing the role of fossil gas in Illinois’ energy mix, and took a similar position in April 2024 comments on the docket. Previously, in February 2023, subsidiary Rocky Mountain Power directly testified in support of Utah House Bill 370, a critical infrastructure bill that criminalizes protest activities against fossil fuel infrastructure.
At the federal level, the company supported the Trump administration's proposed repeal of the finalized carbon standards for existing coal- and new gas-fired power plants in August 2025 comments to the EPA as part of the Midwest Ozone Group. MidAmerican Energy also filed a joint legal challenge to the same power plant rules in August 2024, appearing to specifically challenge the EPA’s authority to regulate power plants’ greenhouse gas emissions. In May 2024 comments to the EPA submitted with the Midwest Ozone Group, Berkshire Hathaway advocated against federal regulation of carbon emissions from existing gas power plants. Subsidiary BNSF Railway strongly opposed the California Air Resources Board’s request to regulate rail emissions in an April 2024 comment to the EPA. More positively, Berkshire Hathaway Energy directly advocated to federal policymakers to increase funding for clean energy transmission research and deployment in an April 2024 coalition letter to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees. In its Q2 2025 federal lobbying disclosures, the company disclosed engagement on the IRA’s clean energy tax credits and permitting reform under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), but did not disclose specific positions on these policies.
Industry Association Governance: Berkshire Hathaway does not appear to have disclosed a list of its industry association memberships or a review of its alignment with these associations’ climate policy engagement activities. However, Berkshire Hathaway subsidiaries retain membership to several industry associations that strategically oppose US climate policy. For example, MidAmerican Energy’s CEO serves on the board of directors for the American Gas Association (AGA), and subsidiary BHE GT+S is a member of the Natural Gas Supply Association, both of which strategically oppose climate policy in the US.
A detailed assessment of the company's corporate review on climate policy engagement can be found on InfluenceMap's CA100+ Investor Hub here.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information, see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.