SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Big Oil Used Big Tobacco's Denial Playbook--But Will They Pay Same Price?
The U.S. Justice Department has "discussed" taking civil legal action—as it did against tobacco products industry—against the fossil fuel industry
Mar 11, 2016
Will the fossil fuel industry, which misled the public for decades about the risks of climate change, eventually pay the steep price that Big Tobacco did after lying for decades about the health hazards of smoking?
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch this week acknowledged that the U.S. Justice Department has "discussed" taking civil legal action--as it did against tobacco companies--against the fossil fuel industry for its decades-long intentional suppression of climate science.
"It's high time that the Department of Justice investigate how these companies may have lied to the American people, their shareholders, and the federal government."
--Jamie Henn, 350.org
Lynch's comments came Wednesday, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"Madam Attorney General, the similarities between the mischief of the tobacco industry pretending that the science of tobacco's dangers was unsettled and the fossil fuel industry pretending that the science of carbon emissions' danger is unsettled has been remarked on widely, particularly by those who study the climate denial apparatus that the fossil fuel industry has erected," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) during the hearing.
Noting that under President Bill Clinton, the Justice Department brought and won a multi-billion-dollar civil case against the tobacco industry, Whitehouse continued: "My question to you is, other than civil forfeitures and matters attendant to a criminal case, are there other circumstances in which a civil matter under the authority of the Department of Justice has been referred to the FBI?"
After thanking him for "raising the issue," Lynch responded: "This matter has been discussed. We have received information about it and have referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which we could take action on. I'm not aware of a civil referral at this time."
As Common Dreams reported last week, the DOJ has already forwarded a request from two congressmen seeking a federal probe of ExxonMobil to the FBI's criminal division.
Since reporting last year revealed ExxonMobil's efforts to hide from the public the dangers of global warming and the role of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions in climate change--and since subsequent investigations have shown the strategy to be widespread throughout the industry--climate activists have compared the tactics to those employed by the tobacco industry.
"The fossil fuel industry has used Big Tobacco's playbook to block action on climate change for years," 350.org strategy and communications director Jamie Henn told Common Dreams in an email on Friday. "It's high time that the Department of Justice investigate how these companies may have lied to the American people, their shareholders, and the federal government."
Lynch's admission this week, combined with last week's announcement of the criminal referral, show that the case against fossil fuel producers is going mainstream, Henn said.
"# ExxonKnew may be the greatest corporate scandal in history," Henn said. "With multiple state attorneys general and the FBI now investigating the company, the case is clearly picking up momentum. Exxon will do everything it can to dodge these allegations. It's our job to make sure the spotlight stays pointed their way."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Will the fossil fuel industry, which misled the public for decades about the risks of climate change, eventually pay the steep price that Big Tobacco did after lying for decades about the health hazards of smoking?
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch this week acknowledged that the U.S. Justice Department has "discussed" taking civil legal action--as it did against tobacco companies--against the fossil fuel industry for its decades-long intentional suppression of climate science.
"It's high time that the Department of Justice investigate how these companies may have lied to the American people, their shareholders, and the federal government."
--Jamie Henn, 350.org
Lynch's comments came Wednesday, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"Madam Attorney General, the similarities between the mischief of the tobacco industry pretending that the science of tobacco's dangers was unsettled and the fossil fuel industry pretending that the science of carbon emissions' danger is unsettled has been remarked on widely, particularly by those who study the climate denial apparatus that the fossil fuel industry has erected," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) during the hearing.
Noting that under President Bill Clinton, the Justice Department brought and won a multi-billion-dollar civil case against the tobacco industry, Whitehouse continued: "My question to you is, other than civil forfeitures and matters attendant to a criminal case, are there other circumstances in which a civil matter under the authority of the Department of Justice has been referred to the FBI?"
After thanking him for "raising the issue," Lynch responded: "This matter has been discussed. We have received information about it and have referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which we could take action on. I'm not aware of a civil referral at this time."
As Common Dreams reported last week, the DOJ has already forwarded a request from two congressmen seeking a federal probe of ExxonMobil to the FBI's criminal division.
Since reporting last year revealed ExxonMobil's efforts to hide from the public the dangers of global warming and the role of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions in climate change--and since subsequent investigations have shown the strategy to be widespread throughout the industry--climate activists have compared the tactics to those employed by the tobacco industry.
"The fossil fuel industry has used Big Tobacco's playbook to block action on climate change for years," 350.org strategy and communications director Jamie Henn told Common Dreams in an email on Friday. "It's high time that the Department of Justice investigate how these companies may have lied to the American people, their shareholders, and the federal government."
Lynch's admission this week, combined with last week's announcement of the criminal referral, show that the case against fossil fuel producers is going mainstream, Henn said.
"# ExxonKnew may be the greatest corporate scandal in history," Henn said. "With multiple state attorneys general and the FBI now investigating the company, the case is clearly picking up momentum. Exxon will do everything it can to dodge these allegations. It's our job to make sure the spotlight stays pointed their way."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Will the fossil fuel industry, which misled the public for decades about the risks of climate change, eventually pay the steep price that Big Tobacco did after lying for decades about the health hazards of smoking?
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch this week acknowledged that the U.S. Justice Department has "discussed" taking civil legal action--as it did against tobacco companies--against the fossil fuel industry for its decades-long intentional suppression of climate science.
"It's high time that the Department of Justice investigate how these companies may have lied to the American people, their shareholders, and the federal government."
--Jamie Henn, 350.org
Lynch's comments came Wednesday, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"Madam Attorney General, the similarities between the mischief of the tobacco industry pretending that the science of tobacco's dangers was unsettled and the fossil fuel industry pretending that the science of carbon emissions' danger is unsettled has been remarked on widely, particularly by those who study the climate denial apparatus that the fossil fuel industry has erected," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) during the hearing.
Noting that under President Bill Clinton, the Justice Department brought and won a multi-billion-dollar civil case against the tobacco industry, Whitehouse continued: "My question to you is, other than civil forfeitures and matters attendant to a criminal case, are there other circumstances in which a civil matter under the authority of the Department of Justice has been referred to the FBI?"
After thanking him for "raising the issue," Lynch responded: "This matter has been discussed. We have received information about it and have referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which we could take action on. I'm not aware of a civil referral at this time."
As Common Dreams reported last week, the DOJ has already forwarded a request from two congressmen seeking a federal probe of ExxonMobil to the FBI's criminal division.
Since reporting last year revealed ExxonMobil's efforts to hide from the public the dangers of global warming and the role of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions in climate change--and since subsequent investigations have shown the strategy to be widespread throughout the industry--climate activists have compared the tactics to those employed by the tobacco industry.
"The fossil fuel industry has used Big Tobacco's playbook to block action on climate change for years," 350.org strategy and communications director Jamie Henn told Common Dreams in an email on Friday. "It's high time that the Department of Justice investigate how these companies may have lied to the American people, their shareholders, and the federal government."
Lynch's admission this week, combined with last week's announcement of the criminal referral, show that the case against fossil fuel producers is going mainstream, Henn said.
"# ExxonKnew may be the greatest corporate scandal in history," Henn said. "With multiple state attorneys general and the FBI now investigating the company, the case is clearly picking up momentum. Exxon will do everything it can to dodge these allegations. It's our job to make sure the spotlight stays pointed their way."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.