Perhaps they should worry about the crime problem in the seat of state government, Albany, which is the eighth most dangerous city in NY State, #14 when property crimes are thrown in to the mix. Perhaps they should worry about the lackluster economic conditions, unemployment rate, cost of living, and high taxation. Or all the illegal aliens present in the state. Na, ‘climate change’!
(NY Times) The New York attorney general has begun an investigation of Exxon Mobil to determine whether the company lied to the public about the risks of climate change or to investors about how such risks might hurt the oil business.
According to people with knowledge of the investigation, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued a subpoena Wednesday evening to Exxon Mobil, demanding extensive financial records, emails and other documents.
The investigation focuses on whether statements the company made to investors about climate risks as recently as this year were consistent with the company’s own long-running scientific research.
Well, this is a cute little way to attack a fossil fuels company, and NY is determining whether they want to go after other fossil fuels companies at the same time. This is using the power of the Government to go after a company over position papers, mostly published in the 1970’s, that the company disagreed with, over a science that is anything but settled.
The history at Exxon Mobil appears to differ, in that the company published extensive research over decades that largely lined up with mainstream climatology. Thus, any potential fraud prosecution might depend on exactly how big a role company executives can be shown to have played in directing campaigns of climate denial, usually by libertarian-leaning political groups.
In other words, investigating over Free Speech and opinion. Liberals have never been shy about looking to prosecute people over opinions and speech they do not like.
“This could open up years of litigation and settlements in the same way that tobacco litigation did, also spearheaded by attorneys general,†said Brandon L. Garrett, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. “In some ways, the theory is similar — that the public was misled about something dangerous to health. Whether the same smoking guns will emerge, we don’t know yet.â€
Except, ‘climate change’, even if mostly/solely Manmade, isn’t dangerous to health. It’s just a condition that the Earth has always gone through, and humanity adapts.
Any civil and/or criminal suit could be interesting, because Exxon Mobile could point out that government scientists were super concerned with global cooling in the 1970’s. They could point highlight the way in which 95% of the models have diverged from the actual temperature trend. They could highlight the apocalyptic doomsaying of Warmists. They could highlight how their research has shown discrepancies. And, they have very good lawyers on staff.
Most likely, this will end up in a shakedown attempt, because the Cult of Climastrology has lost in court almost every time, because the science is anything but settled.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Teach if Exon withheld information from their stockholders or people trying to decide whether to invest in their company , would you consider that criminal fraud ?
That is one of the things Big Tobbacco did
Both industries have also lied about the harm that using their products causes
Maybe ExxonMobil should just refuse to comply like those government employees at NOAA.
Or maybe ExxonMobil should just tell them to fuck off because you have no jurisdiction.
Or p’raps Exxon and the other oil companies should just pull out of New York altogether, taking all of the jobs with them, and leaving New Yorkers with empty gasoline and heating oil tanks.
Actually they didn’t john. If they had, there would have been convictions on criminal fraud. Instead, tobacco reached a settlement with the government and different states.
That settlement was violated by many states (mine included) which leads to the conclusion that the government wasn’t interested in “harm” or anything other than money.
The same is true with people of your ilk and climate change.
By the way john, what is your reaction to China (who you have always claimed is a model of reducing greenhouse emissions) being caught lying about their use of coal?
What is your response to the fact that they under reported the use of coal by a percentage that is more than the coal usage in the US?
Why haven’t you advocated suing the Chinese, john?
Why have you held up the Chinese as models of compliance when the facts show otherwise?
Maybe you are still trying to figure our where Selma is on a map or how many millimeters are in an inch. Either way, your trolling is laughably pitiful.
John- just when I thought..oh, never mind. “Lied about the harm their product causes.” What harm would that be? Name one harmful thing that’s happened climate- wise by the use of their products. And I don’t mean reading astrology signs for something that “might happen” in the future. By the way, why is it “big tobacco”? Is there a small tobacco? Why then don’t you call government “big government”, as it’s size obviously dwarfs all companies combined? Or are you just a hypocrite?
Nah.
He’s an ignorant troll too.