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Top executives from Big Oil companies ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, and Shell testified before Congress yesterday amid accusations and revelations about their industry’s efforts to mislead the public about human-caused climate change while claiming to be in favor of climate action. A report released Thursday morning by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform argued that the four companies have spent hundreds of millions lobbying the government to protect fossil fuel interests with only “a tiny fraction” going toward the pro-climate policies they claim to support.
Republicans labeled the hearing “a distraction,” while Democratic lawmakers vowed to hold these companies accountable.
Why This Matters: The COP26 conference begins Monday as countries face big decisions about where fossil fuel companies fit in the future of energy as the world works to decarbonize. Despite current Paris Agreement pledges, the world is not on track to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, with obstacles ranging from the absence of clean energy infrastructure to lack of funding. But in the US, fossil fuel interests’ influence in Congress and throughout the economy have played an especially controversial role. BP has rebranded itself as standing for “Beyond Petroleum,” but their lobbying expenditures suggest little has changed. This hearing could be the start of real accountability for fossil fuel companies and their role in climate change, and can force these companies to “put up or shut up” when it comes to decarbonization.
Play by Play
“Today, the CEOs of the largest oil companies in the world face a stark choice,” said Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) in prepared remarks. “You can either come clean, admit your past misrepresentations and ongoing inconsistencies, and stop supporting climate disinformation. Or you can sit here in front of the American public and lie under oath.”
The executives, along with the American Petroleum Institute and the US Chamber of Commerce were drilled about several items, including free speech, disinformation, and the “existential threat” of climate change. Some key questions and moments included:
When President of Shell Oil Gretchen Watkins was asked if she believed climate change was an “existential threat” — she would not answer “yes” despite assuring the panel that Shell was “in action” against climate change.
Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) compared the hearing and the executives’ answers to the Big Tobacco hearings of the 1990s. After questioning Woods on his predecessor’s misleading speech and a recent recording of an Exxon lobbyist, she said, “They are obviously lying like the tobacco executives were.”
Other Democratic legislators agree with this comparison. “It could be the Big Tobacco moment,” said Khanna before the hearing, “We’ve never had a situation where the Big Oil executives have to answer under oath for their company’s behavior.”
By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer Late last week, President Biden and a critical mass of Democrats in the Senate and House agreed on the details of Build Back Better legislation — a $1.85 trillion overall investment that includes a record-setting $555 billion dollars to take on the climate crisis. The agreement marked a […]
By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer As the world gets ready for COP26 in Glasgow next week, many nations are upping their pledges to lower emissions before 2030. But according to a UN report released Tuesday, even if Argentina, Britain, Canada, the EU, South Africa, and the US achieve their pledged goals, it would account […]
By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer The White House is considering new clean energy strategies for President Biden’s budget package to potentially replace measures blocked by coal-state Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. The administration is considering an expansion of grants and loans for agricultural and industrial businesses to help them transition to cleaner energy, […]
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