Democrats Send Big Oil Investigation to Justice Department
- Letter urges DOJ to probe fossil fuel industry’s practices
- American Petroleum Institute calls move a political charade
Vehicles pass tan oil refinery in Wilmington, California.
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Democrats are asking the US Department of Justice to investigate major oil companies and their trade groups following a congressional probe that concluded the industry spent decades deceiving the public about climate change.
The three-year investigation, started by Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, accused Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., Shell Plc, BP Plc, the American Petroleum Institute and US Chamber of Commerce of engaging in a public relations “campaign of deception and doublespeak” while internally acknowledging that fossil fuels caused climate change since the 1960s.