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Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill said Wednesday they have submitted to the Justice Department the results of an investigation into major oil companies and whether the industry deceived the public about the impact of fossil fuels on climate change.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse and House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin said in a letter to the Justice Department that documents uncovered during the three-year investigation showed that the oil and gas industry “Deceptive practices” have been used to “consolidate the use of the oil and gas industry.”
The group accuses ExxonMobil ( Fossil fuels have caused climate change since the 1960s.
“We believe there is sufficient evidence that fossil fuel industry companies and trade associations may have violated one or more federal regulations to warrant further investigation,” the letter said.
The American Petroleum Institute called the move “yet another baseless political charade designed to distract from continued inflation and America’s need for more energy, including oil and natural gas.”
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