Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, of Rhode Island, and Representative Ted Lieu, of California, are sponsoring a resolution in Congress calling out fossil fuel companies for their “sophisticated and deceitful campaign” to deny climate science.
In the resolution Whitehouse and Lieu talk about lead and tobacco manufacturers developing “a sophisticated and deceitful campaign that funded think tanks and front groups, and paid public relations firms to deny, counter and obfuscate peer-reviewed research” and using “that misinformation campaign to mis-lead the public and cast doubt in order to protect their financial interest.”
Whitehouse, long considered the Senate’s foremost climate advocate, draws some criticism in Rhode Island for his tacit support of LNG and his refusal to come out against both a proposed power plant in Burrillville and the LNG infrastructure expansion that has been proposed for both Burrillville and South Providence.
In an email, Whitehouse said he’s “joining a group of my colleagues on the Senate floor to expose a web of denial: Along with respected scientists and journalists, we’re standing strong to shine a light on the trade associations, think tanks and shady front groups that have been funded by the Koch brothers, ExxonMobil and their allies to con the public and undermine climate action.”
The Conservation Law Foundation applauded the efforts of Whitehouse and Lieu regarding the resolution. In a statement, the CLF said:
“Corporations like ExxonMobil have spent decades using the same playbook as Big Tobacco to cover up the enormous societal harm brought on by the products they’re peddling,” said CLF president Bradley Campbell. “It’s time for our leaders to hold them accountable and to stand up for communities across the country already facing significant public safety and economic hazards from the impacts of climate change. We applaud Representative Lieu and Senator Whitehouse for bringing this issue to the forefront, and we’re confident that, even in the face of these companies’ multi-million dollar lobbyists, the truth on our side will ultimately win the day.”
The most high-profile company engaged in such behavior, ExxonMobil, is currently facing a first-in-the-nation lawsuit from the CLF (Conservation Law Foundation) over its indifference and harm to the Greater Boston community.
After an exposé last September by InsideClimate News revealed that ExxonMobil has engaged in a deliberate cover-up of sound climate science for more than thirty years, CLF launched its own investigation and discovered that the company’s deceit has put New England communities in harm’s way. On May 17, CLF announced that it would be taking legal action against ExxonMobil for its continued neglect of the communities lining the Mystic River, communities increasingly threatened by ExxonMobil’s unwillingness to bring its facility in Everett, Massachusetts up to code.
