Big Oil CEOs Asked to Testify About their Role in Climate Disinformation

House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (NY) and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Ro Khanna (CA) today sent letters asking the executives of ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, the American Petroleum Institute, and the Chamber of Commerce to testify at a hearing about the companies' history of climate disinformation, according to The New York Times.

Exxon and other Big Oil companies currently face lawsuits from 27 states and municipalities for lying to the public about their products' role in causing climate change.

Richard Wiles, executive director of the Center for Climate Integrity, released the following statement:

"We applaud Chairs Maloney and Khanna for demanding that these executives answer for their history of climate deception. Oil and gas executives have lied to the American people for decades about their industry's role in causing climate change. It's time they were held accountable. If the executives refuse to testify voluntarily, they should be subpoenaed."

ExxonMobil Lobbyist Admitted to Company's Climate Deception, Fear of Testifying

In June, ExxonMobil's senior federal lobbyist admitted on tape that the company has used "shadow groups" to undermine climate science and oppose government action, and that the company only publicly supported a carbon tax because it would never pass and was a good "talking point."

In that same recording, Keith McCoy, ExxonMobil's senior director of federal relations, said: "Our CEO was invited to a hearing from a member of Congress who we know is just going to rip him to shreds when he goes there. The main thing that they're looking at is to get ExxonMobil in front of a Congressional hearing so they can rip us apart."

Background on Lawsuits Seeking to Hold Big Oil Accountable for Climate Deception:

Since 2017, the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia, as well as 20 city and county governments in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, and Washington, have filed lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about their products' role in climate change.