Democrats have asked the US Department of Justice to investigate large oil companies and their trading groups after congressional investigations concluded that the industry has deceived the public over climate change issues for decades.
The three-year investigation was initiated by Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, accusing ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, British Petroleum, the American Petroleum Association, and the American Chamber of Commerce of participating in a “deceptive and vague PR campaign” while internally admitting that fossil fuels have caused climate change since the 1960s.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Sheldon Whitehouse) and Representative Jamie Raskin (Jamie Raskin) wrote in a May 22 letter to the Department of Justice: “We believe there is sufficient evidence that fossil fuel industry companies and industry associations may have violated one or more federal regulations, so further investigation is necessary.”
The American Petroleum Institute issued a statement criticizing the Democratic Party's move as “an unfounded political trick aimed at diverting attention from continuing inflation and America's demand for more energy, including oil and gas.”
“American energy workers are focused on providing reliable, affordable oil and gas that Americans need, and any statement to the contrary is false,” Andrea Woods, the organization's spokeswoman, said in a statement.
The two committees released the 65-page report last month, along with hundreds of pages of company documents. It accuses oil companies of a range of misconduct, including publicly supporting the Paris climate agreement while internally admitting that their business model is not in line with this situation.
It also said the companies mistakenly touted natural gas as a bridge fuel to a cleaner future while ignoring its significant impact on the climate; the report also said the industry is investing heavily in universities around the world to win support for fossil fuels as part of the energy transition.
“Our investigation into the fossil fuel industry is reminiscent of the historic congressional investigation into fraud in the tobacco industry and its industry associations, which led to investigations and lawsuits by several state attorneys general and the Department of Justice,” Senate Budget Committee (Senate Budget Committee) chairman Whitehouse and House Oversight Committee (House Oversight Committee) Democratic leader Ruskin said in a letter.
The US Department of Justice said it had received the letter, but declined further comment.