On Tuesday, Senator Sanders stated that the petroleum company may have violated federal law by suppressing information they held on the scientific connection between carbon emissions and climate change.
"Based on available public information, it appears that Exxon knew its product was causing harm to the public, and spent millions of dollars to obfuscate the facts in the public discourse. The information that has come to light about Exxon’s past activities raises potentially serious concerns that should be investigated," Sanders wrote in his letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
He went on to cite an investigation by Inside Climate News, a non-profit, non-partisan organization who has alleged that Exxon Mobil has done extensive research on climate change since 1977 and found that carbon pollution brought on by petroleum is a major factor.
Despite their own findings on the subject, the company went on a massive public relations campaign to decry global warming and attempt to cause doubt among the public. The company has reportedly spent $31 million dollars on organizations who pump information contrary to their own research.
“These reports, if true, raise serious allegations of a misinformation campaign that may have caused public harm similar to the tobacco industry’s actions – conduct that led to federal racketeering convictions,” Sanders continued in his letter.
In September, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates vowed to crack down on corporate criminals, which Sanders pointed out.
“Based on available public information, it appears that Exxon knew its product was causing harm to the public, and spent millions of dollars to obfuscate the facts in the public discourse. The information that has come to light about Exxon’s past activities raises potentially serious concerns that should be investigated.”
Sanders concluded that Exxon Mobil knew the truth about the harm they were causing, and lied to protect their business at the expense of the planet.
