Senate, House Dems: Oil companies pivoted from climate denial to ‘deception, disinformation, and doublespeak’

Big oil companies have acknowledged internally that their pledges to reduce global warming emissions are incompatible with their business plans, according to a three-year report released by Democrats to the Senate Budget Committee and the House Oversight Committee. Ta.

The report, which builds on an oversight investigation that stalled after Republicans took control of the House, acknowledges the industry’s history of deliberately suppressing links between fossil fuels and climate change. Contains documents that appear to be

In 2015, a joint investigation by Inside Climate News and the Los Angeles Times reported that ExxonMobil was intentionally opposing climate science.

Although the company has publicly denied this, documents in the report include a 2016 email exchange in which a media relations manager wrote: Stop climate change like Kyoto. Either way, I’m okay with it because at some point both were true. ”

The report alleges that over the years, major oil companies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, have changed strategy from outright denial to “deception, disinformation, and double-talk.” Their strategy on this front includes mispositioning natural gas as a climate-friendly “bridge fuel” to renewable energy that obfuscates its emissions, the report says. claims. The report said both companies publicly expressed support for the goals of the Paris climate agreement, but acknowledged internally that those goals were incompatible with their long-term business strategies.

The commission also found that while the industry publicly expressed support for climate-related laws and regulations, it privately lobbied against it or relied on industry associations to do so. claims. This echoes comments made by former ExxonMobil lobbyist Keith McCoy to undercover activists in 2021. [fought] It goes against some of the science on climate change.” The company said McCoy did not discuss the matter in the interview.

Additionally, the report alleges that ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, API, and Chambers continually obstructed the investigation.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon: “The fossil fuel industry has known for decades that its products harm the economy and the climate, yet they deceive Americans into giving them more than $600 billion in subsidies each year.” We have continued to raise money and have achieved record profits at the same time,” the White House (DR.I.) said in a statement. “As this joint report makes clear, the industry’s complete denial of climate change is a combination of deception, disinformation and doublespeak, perpetrated using dark money, fake front groups and false economics. has developed into a green-looking front for an ongoing covert campaign,” and the relentless use of political influence to halt the progress of climate change. ”

The report was released a day before the Appropriations Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on its findings, with scheduled witnesses including House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) It is included.

Several of the oil companies and organizations named in the report objected to that characterization. A Shell spokesperson told The Hill:[o]Of the approximately 90,000 documents provided to the commission, the handful they chose to highlight are: Set realistic goals, upscale your portfolio, and participate meaningfully in the energy transition. This is evidence of Shell’s efforts. ”

An ExxonMobil spokesperson said the report contains “tired allegations that have already been made public through previous Congressional hearings and court actions on the same subject.”

“With continued inflation and geopolitical instability, our country needs more American energy, including oil and natural gas, and baseless election-year rhetoric,” an API spokesperson said. he told The Hill. A Chevron spokesperson told The Hill the company will abide by API’s statement.

The Hill has reached out to the Chamber of Commerce and other companies named in the report for comment.