Rep Ro Khanna on the House Oversight Committee's Climate Disinformation Investigation and New Subpoenaed Documents
Dec 20, 2022
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Representative Ro Khanna discusses the House Oversight Committee's investigation into climate disinformation by oil companies, including topics such as greenwashing, bullying, university funding, bias in research, big oil's true intentions, accountability for misrepresentation, and the argument of free speech.
Oil companies and the API use greenwashing strategies to maintain fossil fuel operations while projecting an environmentally friendly image.
Big oil companies exhibit a culture of bullying, targeting media and individuals to silence and intimidate them.
Deep dives
Key Point 1: House Oversight Committee Investigation
The House Oversight Committee completed its investigation into climate disinformation and released a second batch of documents obtained through subpoenas. Oil majors and the American Petroleum Institute complied with the subpoenas, while the US Chamber of Commerce did not. The documents revealed redacted information but offered glimpses into interesting aspects.
Key Point 2: Strategies and Bullying Tactics
The documents highlighted two significant elements. First, explicit strategies by oil companies and the API that involve greenwashing to continue operating and expanding the fossil fuel industry while projecting an environmentally friendly image. Second, the culture of bullying exhibited by these companies, targeting individuals such as a New York Times reporter and trying to silence and intimidate the media.
Key Point 3: University Funding and Influence
The documents raised concerns about the funding of research institutions, including universities, by big oil companies. This funding could potentially bias the research and its objectivity. Greater investigation is required to understand how research funding impacts the relationship between big oil and research institutions, ensuring transparency and clear separation between funding and research processes.
The House Oversight Committee wrapped up its investigation into climate disinformation earlier this month and published a second tranche of revealing internal documents that spell out exactly how the world's largest oil companies have misled the public on their commitments to energy transition. One of the people who spearheaded that investigation, Representative Ro Khanna, joins us to discuss.