Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is one of 13 Republican Attorneys General who recently fired off a letter to the Democratic attorney general in New York and a Massachusetts U.S. Senator chastising them for their climate change probe of Exxon.
In the letter, the GOP Attorneys General say that if minimizing the risks of climate change can be prosecuted as “fraud” as suggested by New York’s Eric Schneiderman, then so can statements overstating the dangers of climate change.
“We think this effort by our colleagues to police the global warming debate through the power of the subpoena is a grave mistake,” wrote Pruitt and the attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.
“Using law enforcement authority to resolve a public policy debate undermines the trust invested in our offices and threatens free speech,” continued the letter.
Schneiderman and 15 other Democratic AGs have targeted Exxon for what they feel is a one-sided version of the climate debate. They contend Exxon’s disclosure about the risks of climate change has been inadequate. But the Republican AGs asked the question.
“If Exxon’s disclosure is deficient, what of the failure of renewable energy companies to list climate change as a risk?”
The Republicans suggest if climate change turns out to be less serious than claimed then “clean energy” companies might become less valuable and some might be altogether worthless. And what about the exaggerated claims of former Vice President Al Gore and the venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers where he is a senior partner.
“Should these statements justify an investigation into all contributions to environmental non-profits by Kleiner Perkins’s partners?” asked the GOP AGs.