Exxon Mobil disclosures about climate-change risks are probed by New York AG
Exxon Mobil is being investigated by the New York attorney general’s office to determine whether the company lied to consumers about climate change risks or lied to investors about how those risks could affect its oil business.
News of the probe was reported Thursday by the New York Times, which relied on some unidentified sources in its article. A spokesman for AG Eric Schneiderman told Reuters that the office subpoenaed the company Wednesday, seeking a large number of documents including financial records and emails.
The Times says some of the activities at issue date back to the 1970s.
Kenneth Cohen, vice president for public affairs at Exxon Mobil, told the Times on Thursday that the company is still pondering its response to the subpoena.
“We unequivocally reject the allegations that Exxon Mobil has suppressed climate-change research,” he said.
The company has been funding mainstream research on the topic since the 1970s, has had scientific papers published and made appropriate disclosure of climate risks to its investors, Cohen told the Times.
