Nineteen Democrats will take to the Senate floor in the coming days to accuse Exxon Mobil and other oil companies of covering up how burning fossil fuels affects climate change.
Starting late Monday afternoon, the Democratic senators will rail against a wide range of oil industry groups and individuals for reportedly misleading the public about the effects of burning fossil fuel, according to 350.org, an environmental group.
The group says the senators will introduce a resolution condemning oil companies and groups who they say misled the public about fossil fuel use. A similar resolution will be introduced in the House this week, the group says.
“It’s inspiring to see senators join the movement to hold the likes of Exxon accountable for their decades of deception,” said Jamie Henn, communications director for 350.org. “Big Oil robbed us of a generation’s worth of climate action, and to this day are still sowing doubt and misinformation — prioritizing profit at the expense of our climate and communities.”
It is the latest step in a campaign to attack oil companies following reports from the Los Angeles Times and Inside Climate News last year. The reports said Exxon worked systematically since the 1970s to suppress its own scientific findings that burning fossil fuel was causing climate change. The reports have resulted in congressional inquiries of oil companies and Democratic attorneys general promising to use the powers of their offices to investigate potential violations of the law by oil companies.
Some of the attorneys general have backed off their investigations after substantial criticism from Republicans and responses from Exxon Mobil.
