their investigation into oil majors and whether the companies knowingly deceived the public about the effects of climate change.
In the letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse and House Oversight Committee ranking member Rep.
The lawmakers also alleged that the companies they investigated pledged to limit warming to 1.5C, a target set by the Paris Climate accord, and to support their own paths to reaching net-zero emissions— all while “internally recognizing that those goals were outside of their current business plans.” “The examples set out in this letter only begin to illustrate how the documents reviewed by the Committees highlighted an enterprise committed to continued—and even increased— production of oil and gas, despite knowing of massive harms that would result and choosing to keep the public in the dark about that knowledge,” the lawmakers said.
They also argued their investigation demonstrated that the fossil fuel industry continues to “knowingly obfuscate” the dangers of natural gas. “This evidence, combined with the entities’ failure to comply fully with validly issued congressional subpoenas, suggests that further investigation by the executive branch is warranted,” they said.