Nov. 1, 2021—Executives with ExxonMobil, Shell and other major oil players on Thursday denied spreading misinformation during a congressional hearing regarding climate change.
Congressional Democrats accused the oil industry of willfully concealing evidence about the dangers of climate change and the role oil companies play in those dangers, according to the Associated Press.
ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said the company “has long acknowledged the reality and risks of climate change, and it has devoted significant resources to addressing those risks,″ according to the report, adding his company's statements on climate “are and have always been truthful, fact-based ... and consistent” with mainstream climate science.
House Democrats challenged those assertions and similar comments, likening the behavior of the oil companies to the tobacco industry in the mid-90s. Tobacco companies infamously claimed in a 1994 hearing that nicotine was not addictive.
House Republicans accused Democrats of grandstanding and attempting to create a distraction "as President Joe Biden’s climate agenda teeters in Congress," per the report.
“The purpose of this hearing is clear: to deliver partisan theater for primetime news,″ Kentucky Rep. James Comer said.
