[plain talk]

also admits that the companies will be forced into bankruptcy by these huge penalties, thereby negating the whole plan

From a sustainability standpoint you are obviously right. Not sure they have thought that far ahead. They are like locusts. They plunder and then move on and graze elsewhere I suppose.

[RepublitarianRoger2]

"They are like locusts. They plunder and then move on and graze elsewhere I suppose."

Yep. Although rather than locusts, I think that the more appropriate plague analogy in this case would be: The Black Death. :)