AnExxonMobil lobbyist pressured Congressional policymakers to strike portions from President Joe Biden’s initial infrastructure package aimed at combating climate change, according to a report from Channel 4 News in the UK.
Secretly recorded footage of ExxonMobil senior lobbyist Keith McCoy appears to show the Washington insider admitting he, on behalf of his employer, pressured several Senators to remove or modify key climate change provisions included in Biden’s initial $2 trillion bill.
Investigators from Greenpeace UK’s Unearthed recorded the Zoom meeting pretending to interview McCoy for a potential lobbying opportunity with a new client.
“We were looking out for our investments. We were looking out for our shareholders,” McCoy is heard saying in clips broadcast by Channel 4 Wednesday.
“Did we aggressively fight against some of the science? Yes. Did we hide our science? Absolutely not,” McCoy said. “Did we join some of these shadow groups to work against some of the early efforts? Yes, that’s true. But there’s nothing illegal about that.”
McCoy appears to suggest ExxonMobil publicly supported a carbon tax but thought it "was not gonna happen," allowing the company to maintain an appearance of supporting climate protections. He also said Exxon was concerned Biden’s plan would be paid for by reversing the Trump tax cuts. A former White House lobbyist for ExxonMobil, Dan Easley, who Greenpeace also interviewed, said the lower tax rate was worth “billions” to Exxon.
McCoy likened lobbying members of Congress to fishing, throwing bait, and reeling them in.
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“I make sure I get them the right information that they need so they look good,” McCoy said. “They know they need you. And I need them.”
According to McCoy, Exxon considers 11 senators “crucial” to its success, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Of the 11, all but two -- Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) -- have received donations from the gasoline giant.
McCoy described Manchin, who’s received at least $12,500 from ExxonMobil’s political action committee, as “the Kingmaker” and said he communicated with his office weekly.
In its lengthy response, ExxonMobil told Channel 4 News it has “supported climate science for decades,” accusing Greenpeace and its investigators of spending the last few decades working to ruin its reputation and distort its efforts through “false claims and unlawful actions.”
“Our lobbying efforts fully comply with all laws and are publicly disclosed on a quarterly basis,” Exxon said.
President Biden reached a bipartisan deal with lawmakers on his infrastructure deal last week. The bill includes funding improvements for physical infrastructure like roads, bridges, public transportation, and broadband internet expansion.
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