Being a rabid climate-change denier is a right-wing shibboleth at this point: to be a "good member of the tribe" and especially a leader, there's certain virtues (vices) you need to publicly signal if you want to cling to power.

This is just one of them.

Smith et al know the science is settled. If you gave them a shot of truth serum, they'd freely admit it. They just have to go through the motions, or else some even more rabid proto-fascist will push them out. This is what spending the last quarter-century engaging in pure identity politics, victimization and rage-farming has done to the political right.

I can't imagine it's actually like this, im guessing their just surrounded by pro oil propaganda. So they rationalize making gobs of money by believing that they aren't doing harm.

It's probably really easy when everything in their life rewards them being pro oil.

Yeah that's likely their thought process, lack of empathy I guess

It's probably more along the lines of: these woke leftists are trying to push the globalization WEF agenda on us using exaggerated claims and fake "science" to hurt our economy, I'll stand my ground and ensure me and my offspring remain privileged even if that means going to war with half the country

Many of those morons have no idea of the magnitude of their hubris, though there's an occasional sociopath in the mix