US Lawmaker Addresses Energy and Trade, Bets on Packaging and Gas Stocks

Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr., a Republican member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, disclosed in an April 13 filing that he purchased shares of global packaging company Amcor plc (AMCR) and industrial gases firm Linde plc (LIN) in late March. He acquired between $1,001 and $15,000 worth of Linde stock on March 26 and a similar amount of Amcor shares on March 31.

Kean, a second-term representative of New Jersey’s 7th District, serves on both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. He sits on subcommittees covering energy and environment, manufacturing and trade, and communications and healthcare policy. Plastics and packaging regulation, industrial decarbonization, and foreign energy and manufacturing investment—all matters under his committees’ jurisdiction—raise potential conflict-of-interest concerns when he holds stock in related companies.

Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company that supplies essential gases for semiconductor, chemical, healthcare, hydrogen and carbon-capture projects. As of April 14, its share price stood near $500, reflecting a mid-teens percentage gain year-to-date. Investor sentiment is supported by expectations of strong 2025 results and continued robust earnings and order growth in 2026. Linde’s performance and valuation are highly sensitive to hydrogen and low-carbon support policies as well as safety and environmental regulations. Given Rep. Kean’s role in shaping energy, environmental and trade policy, his purchase of Linde stock may intersect with potential regulatory rollbacks or subsidy and export-control decisions—raising questions about a possible conflict of interest.

Amcor is a global packaging supplier for the food and beverage, consumer goods and pharmaceutical markets. Since acquiring Berry Global in 2025, it has grown its revenue base and is integrating the combined operations. After executing a 1-for-5 reverse stock split on January 1, Amcor’s shares have traded around $40, buoyed by expected cost synergies and an attractive dividend yield, and briefly rose above $40 in mid-March. Packaging waste, recycling and circular-economy regulations directly tie into energy, environmental and manufacturing policy. A lawmaker reviewing such legislation who also holds stock in related companies amplifies the broader congressional debate over banning members from trading individual securities and could draw heightened public scrutiny and regulatory risk.