U.S. Democratic lawmakers have referred the world鈥檚 largest international oil companies to the U.S. Department of Justice, urging an investigation into Big Oil鈥檚 鈥榙eceptive claims鈥� about its products that have misled the public about the effects on climate.
The U.S. House Oversight Committee launched in 2021 an investigation over 鈥渢he reported role of the fossil fuel industry in a long-running, industry-wide campaign to spread disinformation about the role of fossil fuels in causing global warming.鈥�
The multi-year investigation, initiated by House Oversight Democrats and now undertaken jointly with Senate Budget, has 鈥渦nveiled damning new documents that exposed the fossil fuel industry鈥檚 ongoing efforts to deceive the public and block climate action,鈥� the office of Senate Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse said this week.
The investigation into ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, the American Petroleum Institute (API), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce 鈥渦ncovered new evidence of the fossil fuel industry鈥檚 pattern of deceptive claims regarding its products, their effects on the climate, and its plans to reduce emissions and combat climate change.鈥�
As a result, Senate Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse and House Oversight and Accountability Ranking Member Jamie Raskin called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Big Oil for a decades-long disinformation campaign.
鈥淭he investigation also revealed significant collaboration with trade associations to deceive the public, policymakers, and investors about the fossil fuel companies鈥� true positions on various climate- and energy-related issues,鈥� Whitehouse and Raskin wrote in the letter to DOJ.
鈥淔or these reasons, we formally refer this matter to DOJ and request that you launch an investigation into the fossil fuel industry鈥檚 decades-long history of engaging in deceptive practices to determine whether the entities violated any applicable federal statutes.鈥�
The American Petroleum Institute (API) slammed the Democrats鈥� move with a spokesperson saying 鈥淭his is another unfounded political charade to distract from persistent inflation and America鈥檚 need for more energy, including oil and natural gas.鈥�
鈥淯.S. energy workers are focused on delivering the reliable, affordable oil and natural gas Americans demand and any suggestion to the contrary is false,鈥� according to the API statement carried by Reuters.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
Lead image (Credit: Reuters)