350VT
500 signatures reached
To: State Attorney General
Investigate Exxon: Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell
Recent reports have shown that Exxon may have known about the threat of climate change decades ago. Yet over the course of nearly forty years, the company has contributed millions of dollars to think-tanks and politicians that have done their best to spread doubt and misinformation -- first on the existence of climate change, then the extent of the problem, and now its cause. If Exxon intentionally misled the public about climate change and fossil fuels, then they should be held accountable. We're calling for an immediate investigation.
Why is this important?
Big news broke last year: Exxon knew about climate change in the 1970s. They *researched* it. And surprise, surprise, they’ve been lying about it ever since.
Not only did Exxon not come clean about what they found -- they've spent tens of millions of dollars over the past forty years trying to convince us all that climate change isn’t real. When that didn’t work, they said climate change isn’t that bad, and when that failed, they said, “Oh hey, it’s not our fault.”
We’re talking about what could be the largest case of fraud in human history.
It’s no secret that the fossil fuel industry is a blight on the planet. But right now, we have a chance to do real damage to Exxon, and push their shady, oil company lies out into broad daylight. If we can shine a light on this case of blatant fraud, we'll be one step closer to dismantling the power of an industry that's still recklessly -- and knowingly -- driving the climate crisis.
Governor Peter Shumlin and Vermont legislators have already called out Exxon for the bad actor they are, urging divestment of the state pension funds. New York State’s Attorney General had already begun an investigation, and on March 29, he and sixteen other AGs, including Attorney General Bill Sorrell, announced that they're jointly exploring "ongoing and potential investigations into whether fossil fuel companies misled investors and the public on the impact of climate change on their businesses." We applaud this announcement, and we urge Attorney General Sorrell to start an investigation of Exxon.
These sorts of investigations are what convinced America about the evil of Big Tobacco -- it’s time for Big Oil to get the same treatment.
So please, join the call: Exxon’s day in court has come -- they need to tell the truth in court, and face the consequences of their lies and fraud.
How it will be delivered
In person on May 26th