http://steelerslounge.com/2015/10/lawmakers-seek-probe-of-oil-giant-for-hiding-knowledge-of/33540/
ExxonMobil scientists continue to research and publish findings to improve understanding of climate system science as a basis for society’s response to climate change and have produced more than 50 peer-reviewed publications on topics including the global carbon cycle, detection and attribution of climate change, low carbon technologies and analysis of future scenarios for energy and climate.
“We are writing concerning a potential instance of corporate fraud-behavior that may ultimately qualify as a violation of federal law”, said Sanders’ letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch. The resulting report finds Exxon officials received information from their own top-notch researchers in July 1977 that a doubling of the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere would raise global temperatures by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius, and by up to 10 degrees Celcius at the Earth’s poles.
“Based on available public information, it appears that Exxon knew its product was causing harm to the public, and has spent millions of dollars to obfuscate the facts in the public discourse”, he said.
“Exxon Mobil knew the truth about fossil fuels and climate change and lied to protect their business model at the expense of the planet”, Sanders, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, wrote. ExxonMobil scientists have been selected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations’ most authoritative body on the subject, as authors of their past four major assessment reports, and have contributed to National Research Council boards and committees on climate change. Their letter to the attorney general cited the ICN story and a separate investigation by the Los Angeles Times, which showed that Exxon studied how global warming could affect its Arctic operations. Exxon’s climate deception is now sparking calls for a federal probe similar to that which yielded a racketeering conviction of Big Tobacco for hiding the dangers of smoking. Bernie Sanders sent a letter to the Department of Justice urging it to investigate claims levied by liberal news outlets that the oil giant Exxon Mobil “covered up” evidence about man-made global warming.
“We held tobacco companies responsible for lying about cancer”.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.