Big Oil Board Members Called to Testify About Climate Commitments: CCI Statement

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform last night sent letters asking board members from ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and BP to testify at a February 8 hearing to "evaluate fossil fuel companies' pledges to cut emissions and invest in cleaner sources of energy" as part of the committee's "ongoing investigation into the role of the fossil fuel industry in preventing meaningful action on global warming, including through misrepresenting the scale of industry efforts to address the crisis."

In a previous October hearing, the leading executives of the four oil and gas companies refused to commit under oath, during questioning from Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (NY) and others, that their companies would stop spending money to oppose efforts to reduce emissions and combat climate change.

In response, Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, released the following statement:

"Big Oil can no longer deny the reality and severity of climate change, so the companies now pretend to be part of the solution through phony 'net zero' pledges that distract from their continued pollution and lobbying to kill efforts that address the climate crisis, including parts of President Biden's Build Back Better plan.

"The fossil fuel industry has spent decades lying about its primary role in driving the climate crisis. It's critical that Congress holds these companies accountable and exposes the industry's fake climate pledges for the fraud that they are. We applaud the Oversight Committee for working to expose Big Oil's dishonesty and the damage it continues to cause."

Latest Exxon Pledge Ignores Majority of Emissions

Earlier this week, ExxonMobil announced its "ambition" to reach "net zero" emissions in coming decades, but the company's plan did not cover its so-called "scope 3 emissions" generated by consumer use of their products or emissions from non-operated assets, which together account for as much as 90 percent of their total pollution.

Background on Lawsuits Seeking to Hold Big Oil Accountable for Deceiving the Public About Climate Change

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.