States and localities have filed waves of lawsuits against the fossil fuel industry to make energy companies pay for damages that communities face from climate change. Threatened with potentially huge financial penalties, industry and its supporters recently turned to the Supreme Court for help — without success. Now, Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican, has launched a new line of attack that could help industry by focusing on the money that's allegedly behind the climate cases.

At a June hearing on Capitol Hill, Cruz accused China of funding the lawsuits in order to cripple U.S. oil and gas producers and to strengthen Beijing's position in global energy markets. If the community court cases succeed, Cruz said U.S. energy production would fall and prices would rise. "And the biggest w

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