WASHINGTON (October 17, 2016)—ExxonMobil today asked a federal court to throw out New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s subpoena requesting information from the company for his investigation into whether the corporation broke any laws by misleading the public and shareholders about climate change. Under New York State’s Martin Act, the attorney general has considerable authority to investigate cases of potential financial fraud.
ExxonMobil’s press release about its court filing claims that Schneiderman’s investigation is biased because he consulted with external experts, including Peter Frumhoff, the chief climate scientist and director of science and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. UCS has published extensively on ExxonMobil’s decades of climate deception to avoid regulation of fossil fuels and has been transparent about sharing its research with state prosecutors. Below is a statement by Frumhoff:
“ExxonMobil is complaining that a science advocacy organization provided scientific information to state attorneys general to inform their investigations. Sorry, ExxonMobil, this is what we do. And we are completely transparent about it. We gather and share scientific research to inform better decisions and policies. Your complaint is baseless.
“State attorneys general routinely consult with external experts in the course of their investigations. Like UCS, the New York attorney general is just doing his job. End of story.”