Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Iowa is investigating 18 oil and gas companies after the Federal Trade Commission accused the former CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources last month of conspiring with foreign oil producers.
Whitehouse, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, asked the companies to turn over copies of any communications they had with foreign oil giants, known as OPEC, related to oil production and prices.
The senator specifically cited the FTC’s allegations that Pioneer’s Scott Sheffield “tried to match oil production in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico with production by OPEC and its allies.”
Pioneer was not among the companies he contacted, but ExxonMobil, with which Pioneer plans to merge, was.
“In light of the findings regarding Sheffield, we would like to understand whether other oil producers operating in the United States may have also been working with OPEC and OPEC+ representatives,” Whitehouse wrote.
Sheffield’s lawyer said heUnfairly slandered” by antitrust authorities.
Democrats have repeatedly accused fossil fuel companies of price gouging, a charge the industry denies. The White House’s latest investigation comes after he recently accused big oil companies and lobbying groups of spreading disinformation about climate change.
