Big Oil (hi Exxon) meets House Oversight. Save the date Feb & March 8, 2022 “last chance to appear voluntarily”

Big Oil has long held the position of let’s distract lawmakers because XYZ company spends tens of millions in lobbying. And are rarely held accountable for hundreds of broken promises.

In late Q3 of 2021 ProPublica published an extraordinarily problematic investigative report. Which included several covert recordings of an Senior Exxon Lobbyist bragging about their successful lobbying endeavors. It might help you better understand what the February 3, 2022 House OverSight announcement

Fossil Fuel Companies -disinformation & misinformation campaigns

The Chairwoman of the House Oversight and Rep. Ro Khanna, Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Environment sent a tranche of five letters to various Big Oil Employees (like Exxon, BP and Shell)… see embedded link to the five letters below -this was after four of the five Big Oil executives refused to commit to appear for the February 8, 2022 hearing. Congress then decided to make an accommodation by breaking up the Panel and subsequently added a March 8, 2022 additional hearing.

Ominous for Exxon Executives…

…As an accommodation to you, we plan to divide this hearing into two panels on different dates, and we will reschedule your testimony for March 8, 2022. This will be your last opportunity to appear voluntarily before the Committee. Please confirm by February 7 that you will comply with this request.

November 2021 House Oversight Committee Subpoena to Exxon

There’s one thing to refuse to voluntarily participation of a lawful Congressional investigation but it’s an entirely different discuss tho out right ignore a Congressional Subpoena for FOUR months.

• Dr. Susan Avery, Exxon

• Mr. Alexander A. Karsner, Exxon

• Mr. Enrique Hernandez, Chevron.

• Ms. Melody Meyer, BP.

• Ms. Jane Holl Lute, Shell

This is also why it’s important to read the letters because if you take the time to read to underlying documents, you can quickly learn new facts…

…the Committee is postponing your testimony for four weeks, we expect that Exxon will complete production of all records responsive to our November 2, 2021, subpoena…This subpoena was issued four months ago.

Among other documents, Exxon must produce in full and without redaction all responsive board materials, including those previously placed inside a restrictive electronic reading room without the Committee’s consent. Failure to produce these documents in advance

…The Committee plans to move forward with our hearing on February 8, to learn the truth about the fossil fuel industry’s climate pledges. We will hear from witnesses who have studied these pledges and will explain whether they will truly reduce global warming—or instead are simply another effort by oil and gas companies to deceive the public and “greenwash” the industry’s destructive impact on our planet.

And of course your daily saltwater therapy -a near full minute of waves lapping the beach… enjoy

file411_dc

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Wait you’re telling me that most normal people don’t spend their lunchtime editing and publishing articles. Well I guess I’m abnormal or I’m putting my multitasking skills to good use. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to sprint to the lunch meeting with a certain committee chair. He likes it when I treat him for lunch because I invariably order a “Pittsburg Rare” filet and he chuckles when I ask the waiter to have the center of my steak cold. I mean my colleagues know that if I could eat a raw steak I would. But that’s a discussion for another day.

For now I’d save the February 8th and March 8th dates —I’m not a tree hugging, granola crunching Tree Lover. I’m just a “Big Oil” needs its comeuppance. Because I’ve lost count how many times Big Oil has broken promises. For Example back in 2009 Law Yale published this report which aggregated the environment damage caused by the Exxon Valdez leak in late 1989. Nearly three plus decades later. Should you be inclined the following EPA links might be worthwhile (re)reading.

• EPA FAQ Spill Profile: Exxon Valdez

• Information about the Exxon Valdez Spill (NOAA)

• History via EPA of Exxon Valdez

60 minutes Exxon Valdez 30 year later…

In 2019, on the thirty year anniversary of Exxon Valdez massive oil spill, 60 Minutes published this 13.30 segment. It’s not an opinion - thirty plus years later that catastrophic oil spill still is not cleaned up. Hence my assumption of why the House Oversight Committee isn’t backing down.

The four witnesses, who have previously declined to (voluntarily) testify are now in a position where Congress will likely issue additional subpoenas… as noted previously Exxon has largely ignored the November 2021 House OverSight Subpoena.

• Maybe Congress should perhaps stop allocating appropriations for Big Oil.

• Maybe the IRS should withdraw the various tax loop holes…maybe Big Oil needs to understand that obstructing a lawful Congressional investigation

• Maybe Big Oil should face harsher fines and steeper oversight

Just to reiterate I’m not some tree hugging flower child. Clean Water is a basic human right. Fishing in certain Native American “sacred” water ways is in fact a way of life. Yet at every turn Big Oil has repeatedly acted in ways that should be viewed as a threat to our Planet. There is no Earth Two. We only have one planet and it’s time to make the biggest polluters accountable. Especially when you take the time to view Exxon’s Income Tax Filings 2006 thru 2021 - at any rate I’m running late for my lunch meeting… but I hope this article provides you with additional facts

-Filey