With Democrats back in control, it's time for the House Science Committee to start up the #ExxonKnew investigation again! Let's review this wild saga of lawsuits, subpoenas, and climate denial in this thread —>
bit.ly/2JTlvio
bit.ly/2JTlvio
1/ Back in 2015, reporting at @InsideClimateNews and the @LATimes revealed that Exxon and other oil companies knew about the threat of climate change decades ago, but lied about it to the public and did everything they could to stop efforts to address it.
bit.ly/2JRtqwR
bit.ly/2JRtqwR
2/ Just as Big Tobacco lied about the risks of addiction and cancer, Exxon orchestrated a campaign of doubt and deception, making hundreds of billions at the cost of people's lives — now it's time for them to face the consequences.
insideclimatenews.org/news/22102015/…
insideclimatenews.org/news/22102015/…
3/ In 2015, thanks to citizen pressure, the NY Attorney General launched an investigation into what Exxon's climate lies. They were quickly joined by more states, including Massachusetts, which has played a leading role ever since.
nytimes.com/2015/11/06/sci…
nytimes.com/2015/11/06/sci…
4/ Under pressure, Exxon quickly lawyered up and pressured the House Science Committee, then run by climate denier Rep. Lamar Smith, to investigate environmental groups, including @350, who they blamed for the #ExxonKnew campaign.
thehill.com/blogs/congress…
thehill.com/blogs/congress…
5/ We fought back. When Rep. Smith subpoenaed our emails -- we sent him the IPCC report instead. :) The committee had no ground to stand on and they soon gave up trying to pressure us.
6/ Since then, the #ExxonKnew investigation has only gained momentum. Last December, @NYCMayor announced that New York City was divesting from fossil fuels and suing Exxon and other oil majors for the damages they're causing the city due to climate change! washingtonpost.com/news/energy-en…
7/ Meanwhile, the @YouthVGov Case, the young people suing Trump and Big Oil for climate, has also been moving forward. On Nov 2, the Supreme Court said the case could go ahead, then yesterday a court in Oregon granted the government a stay. Wild ride! thehill.com/policy/energy-…
8/ Exxon has done everything it could to get these lawsuits thrown out, hiring an army of lawyers. The AG case has gone back and forth until this March, when a New York judge threw out Exxon's complaints and said the investigation must go forward!
nytimes.com/2018/03/29/cli…
nytimes.com/2018/03/29/cli…
9/ The Judge's decision is worth reading. She said that Exxon was “running roughshod over the adage that the best defense is a good offense.” And that Exxon's attempt to smear the investigation was based on “extremely thin allegations and speculative inferences." Smack down!
10/ It gets better: this October 24, New York State sued Exxon again, this time for defrauding shareholders by downplaying the risks of climate change to their business! And you wonder why they fight climate regulations so hard??
nytimes.com/2018/10/24/cli…
nytimes.com/2018/10/24/cli…
11/ Exxon has also tried to toss out NYC's case, but the City is fighting back. Just last night, they appealed a judge's decision to dismiss the lawsuit. New Yorker's don't give up easy!
12/ Which brings us back to the @HouseScience Committee. Now that @SciCmteDems are taking control, it's time for them to relaunch the #ExxonKnew investigation! From defrauding investors, to lying to the public, to corrupting our democracy, it's time to take on Big Oil!
13/ As we saw this election cycle, until we can stop the fossil fuel industry from polluting our Democracy, we won't be able to deliver real #climate progress. #ExxonKnew is one way to begin to hold the industry accountable. nytimes.com/2018/11/07/opi…
14/ Support our call to House Democrats to #ActOnClimate and investigate what #ExxonKnew by signing onto this petition here. We'll make sure it gets to @SciCmteDems and others so we can keep up the pressure. act.350.org/sign/now-time-…
15/ And tweet at your reps that it's time to investigate #ExxonKnew! Attn: @RepEBJ @RepZoeLofgren @RepLipinski @RepBonamici @RepBera @RepEsty @RepVeasey @RepDonBeyer @RepMcNerney @RepPerlmutter @RepPaulTonko @RepBillFoster @RepMarkTakano @RepHanabusa @RepCharlieCrist @ConorLambPA
16/ And, oh hey, look at that, @ExxonMobil is running ads on this thread -- just goes to reinforce the point: this company is still doing everything it can to deceive the public and hold back progress.
