Democrats are hoping to translate their multiyear investigation of oil companies into legal action, but they face political headwinds that could derail their efforts. The House Oversight and Reform Committee on Friday unveiled a lengthy report detailing the industry's climate-related public relations campaigns — and the companies' internal doubts about the clean energy transition. The immediate impact will be muted. Republicans plan to nix the probe when they take control of the House in January, leaving further action up to the Biden administration and climate activists who are suing oil companies in states around the country. The situation is also politically complicated. Democrats are accusing oil companies of undermining climate action by increasing production for decades to come, but over the past year, they have repeatedly blasted the industry for not pumping enough oil while Americans suffer high prices at the pump. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who led the investigation with committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), said the report "sets the foundation for holding oil companies accountable." "They're basically saying they have the license to operate, to entrench fossil fuel infrastructure and increase emissions, while taking symbolic action that seems consistent with climate PR," Khanna said. What's in it: The report, cobbled together from documents Maloney subpoenaed for, attempts to make the case for what Democrats called "a long-running greenwashing campaign by the fossil fuel industry." In one internal document from the American Petroleum Institute, a top industry official said reducing emissions from methane is "an opportunity to further secure the industry's license to operate." It was, in effect, an admission from the industry's top trade organization that its promises to reduce climate pollution are intended to give companies social cover to keep pumping the fossil fuels that are warming the planet. In response to the report, API Senior Vice President Megan Bloomgren said the oil industry "is focused on continuing to produce affordable, reliable energy while tackling the climate challenge, and any allegations to the contrary are false." Three other organizations the committee investigated — Shell, Exxon and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — also pushed back on the Democrats' report. BP did not return requests for comment, while Chevron declined to comment on the record. Why it matters: Environmental lawyers believe the documents are a tool for the climate liability lawsuits they have launched around the country. And one of Khanna's objectives with the investigation was to draw parallels to Big Tobacco , which faced federal investigations after its executives testified before Congress in the 1990s. The committee has not yet released all the documents it obtained, which Khanna said number in the millions. Asked whether the documents could aid climate lawsuits, Khanna replied, "That's not for me to say." "The documents are there that will provide a historical record for people for years to come," Khanna said.
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