REPS. LIEU, WELCH LEAD LETTER SIGNED BY 45 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ASKING BIG OIL CEO's FOR ANSWERS ON CLIMATE SCIENCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON - Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) and Congressman Peter Welch (D | Vermont), along with 43 distinguished House colleagues, have sent a letter to the Chief Executive Officers of ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, British Petroleum, Shell and Peabody Energy. The letter comes in the wake of investigations by the Los Angeles Times and Inside Climate Newsalleging that Exxon scientists confirmed fossil fuels' role in climate change decades ago, but top executives decided to hide the truth and instead embarked on a massive campaign of denial and disinformation.

Furthermore, an investigation by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has concluded that ExxonMobil was not alone in hiding knowledge of climate change while spreading disinformation about climate science. UCS concluded there was a "coordinated campaign of deception" on climate science by "ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP, Shell, Peabody Energy, and other members of the fossil fuel industry."

In the letter, Congressman Lieu, Congressman Welch and their colleagues ask the following of Big Oil CEO's:

"As members of Congress concerned about climate change and the devastating effects it is having and will continue to have on our planet, we are alarmed by reports stating that Exxon (becoming ExxonMobil in 1999) hid the truth about the role of fossil fuels in influencing climate change and intentionally spread disinformation about climate science."

"Given the information that has come to light from multiple investigations, we request that you answer the following questions: When did your company first become aware that using fossil fuels could result in climate change and warming of the planet? What did your company do with this information? Did your company fund organizations that denied climate change or sought to spread uncertainty about climate change? …"

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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