New York, NY — In response to the news that New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman is launching a sweeping investigation of Exxon Mobil over their past knowledge of climate change and attempts to mislead the public, 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben issued the following statement:
“‘Exxon Knew’ just joined the category of truly serious scandals. Just as New York’s Teddy Roosevelt took on the Standard Oil Trust a century ago, New York’s attorney general has shown great courage in holding to account arguably the richest and most powerful company on Earth. We hope that other state attorney generals and the federal Department of Justice, and the Securities Exchange Commission will show similar fortitude.
I went to jail a few weeks ago because I was worried this great reporting from Inside Climate News and the LA Times might disappear. I’m not worried about that anymore.”
McKibben committed an act of civil disobedience and was arrested at an Exxon station in Burlington, Vermont on October 15th. Over the last month he has written extensively about the need to investigate Exxon Mobil after revelations that is had known about climate change for decades but spent millions to mislead the public and block action to address the crisis.
On October 30, 350.org and a coalition of nearly fifty environmental and civil rights groups issued a joint letter calling on the Department of Justice to investigate Exxon Mobil. Tens of thousands have signed onto petitions with the same demand.
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