Just The News
Critics of this campaign argue that the Democrats behind the investigation are trying to vilify oil companies by misleading the public into thinking that the companies possessed some special knowledge that wasn’t publicly available about the impact of emissions on climate.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., released a joint staff report from a nearly three-year investigation into internal discussions at oil companies and industry groups.
According to the report, the oil companies were aware as early as the 1960’s that emissions impacted climate, but because internal discussions show there was disagreement over the level of risk those impacts posed and the companies continued producing fossil fuels, the companies deceived the public about these risks. This purported deception, according to the report, has delayed addressing climate change.
Critics of this campaign argue that the Democrats behind it are trying to vilify oil companies by misleading the public into thinking that the companies possessed some special knowledge that wasn’t publicly available about the impact of emissions on climate. The internal uncertainty and debate, critics argue, wasn’t a conspiracy to deceive the public, but rather a reflection of the uncertainties inherent within climate research.
“It’s all about power. It’s not about getting rid of fossil fuels, because in the end, when we’re a communist nation, we’re still going to need fossil fuels,” Steve Milloy, a senior legal fellow with the Energy and Environmental Legal Institute and publisher of JunkScience.com, told Just The News.
