4 U.S. senators urge Justice Department to sue fossil fuel companies

WASHINGTON (AA) – Four U.S. senators have called on the Justice Department to sue the fossil fuel industry for its carefully coordinated campaign of climate change denial.

Senators Bernie Sanders, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley and Elizabeth Warren said the fossil fuel industry has spent millions of dollars to obscure the public’s understanding of the issue.

They said the industry has ignored scientific evidence about the dangers of climate change for more than 50 years.

“The actions of ExxonMobil, Shell, and potentially other fossil fuel companies represent a clear violation of federal racketeering laws, truth in advertising laws, consumer protection laws, and potentially other laws, and the Department must act swiftly to hold them accountable for their unlawful actions,” they wrote.

“The fossil fuel industry has had scientific evidence about the dangers of climate change and the role that burning fossil fuels play in increasing global temperatures for more than 50 years,” the lawmakers added.

The senators pointed out that companies were warned as early as 1959 that emissions would cause global temperatures to rise.

The lawmakers said the fossil fuel industry’s campaign to discredit climate change research was similar to the tobacco industry’s campaign to deny the health risks of smoking.

They cited a 2006 court ruling against the tobacco industry as precedent for a lawsuit against the fossil fuel industry.

The senators’ letter comes at a time when the U.S. is experiencing extreme weather events nationwide, from blistering heat to violent storms.

They said these extreme weather events are a result of climate change and that the fossil fuel industry is responsible for misleading the public about the issue.

“The fossil fuel industry’s illegal misinformation campaign bears striking resemblance to that of the tobacco industry for a reason—both industries have used the same public relations firms and researchers since the 1950s,” they wrote.