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Subject:The Senate should hold S.1460 in hiatus while ExxonMobil sorts out the end of oil
Date:August 18, 2017 at 10:50 AM
To:Darren W. Woods Darren.W.Woods@ExxonMobil.com, William (Bill) M. Colton William.M.Colton@ExxonMobil.com,
Jeffrey J. Woodbury jeff.j.woodbury@exxonmobil.com, Suzanne M. McCarron Suzanne.M.McCarron@ExxonMobil.com,
Susan K. Avery, PhD savery@whoi.edu, Max Schulz max.schulz@exxonmobil.com
Cc: Colin Hayes (Senate ENR Ctee) Colin_Hayes@energy.senate.gov, Angela Becker-Dippmann (Senate ENR Ctee)
Angela_Becker-Dippmann@energy.senate.gov, Michaeleen Crowell (Sen. Sanders) Michaeleen_Crowell@sanders.senate.gov,
Thomas, Katie (Sanders) Katie_Thomas@sanders.senate.gov
The writing is on the wall, and you cannot deny it. The end of oil is approaching quickly.
You are irresponsible and arrogant to think that you will continue business as usual
while the trends are obviously against you.
You need to begin revamping your business plan, and start looking seriously at options
to wind down operations in a gracefulalbeit challenging and emotionally painful
smooth landing that causes the least negative repercussions on society and economy.
You would be wise to collaborate with Congress to arrange for the legal provisions that
will keep your business operations in the Public Interest and in the National Interest,
while expectations are that you exercise fiduciary duty during the endgame of your
business. You will understand that Fiduciary duty is in direct contradiction with Public
and National Interest if you ponder the implications carefully, which I am certain you
already have done. So why are you not publicly announcing what you already know?
I implore my Senators and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to
retract Senate Bill S.1460 - Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017
(congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1460) and hold S.1460 in hiatus while
conducting hearings for you and other appropriate ExxonMobil executives and other
U.S. petroleum executives to testify how you are planning for the winding down or
petroleum. Your frank and honest responses will beg questions thus far suppressed.
Sincerely yours,
Doug Grandt
We know theres been a lot of bad news on climate change lately. But there is
plenty of good news too, and we think its just as urgent that people hear the good
that is happening around the globe. Recognizing the progress the world has made
keeps us hopeful and avoids the feeling of helplessness that can stop us from
moving forward and taking action. So Climate Interactive has been gathering
reasons to be hopeful about the climate.
Our Co-Director Drew Jones has been sharing this list to live audiences recently,
including the Sierra Club and the Citizens Climate Lobby (click links for video). He
found that it resonated with many climate leaders, and we hope it resonates with
you, too. So here are our top 11 reasons for climate hope:
This price drop continues the cycle, as demand for renewables rises when the
price goes down, and yet more renewable energy is diffused. The good news is
that this virtuous cycle is well under way, as seen by the incredible drops in the
cost of wind and solar technology in the past several years. In fact, Bloomberg
predicts that solar power will become the cheapest energy source almost
everywhere in the world within the next ten years. The market is driving these
changes, but with the implementation of clean energy subsidies and/or carbon
pricing, this cycle will accelerate even further.
6. Chinese Coal Consumption Is Going Down
China is the worlds biggest producer and consumer of coal, but it may be turning
a corner. Although Chinese coal production and consumption rose hugely during
the 2000s, it appears to have peaked in the 2010s and is now beginning to
decline. Along with this change, Chinas renewable energy sector is flourishing,
growing faster than its fossil fuel and nuclear power capacity.
5. The Paris Climate Agreement Is Coordinating International
Action
The Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015, was an important breakthrough in
the international negotiations on climate change. Despite President Trumps recent
high-profile exit from the Agreement, it continues to provide a powerful framework for
194 countries in the world to work together to set and address climate goals. While the
current emissions pledges in the Agreement do not limit us to 2C of warming, with
increased action to reduce fossil fuel emissions, the participating countries could set the
world on a path to 2C or lower.
The world ended the slave trade in the 19th century and apartheid in the 20th. If
we keep up the pressure, then climate change could be the next frontier for global
change.
This incredible protest showed the power of a grassroots movement led by Native
Americans and those most vulnerable to fossil fuel exploitation. It showed that we
can pull together and make common cause with diverse coalitions to protect
indigenous sovereignty and land rights while working to keep fossil fuels in the
ground. To keep the momentum going, we must continue to reach across
traditional boundaries and build support to make a better world for all.
Climate Change Is a Fixable Problem
If theres anything that these signs of hope show, its that we can do it. It may take
a strong, coordinated, and global effort to keep fossil fuels in the ground and
spread renewable energy, but we can do it. We know what it takes to reduce
climate change, and we know that we must move forward together.
Think about your role in this effort seeing all these reasons for hope, all of these
effective strategies, what part could you play? Could you ask your organization to
divest from fossil fuels, or pressure your elected officials for a carbon price, or add
to the demand for renewable energy, or join a coalition like the Standing Rock
activists?
https://www.climateinteractive.org/blog/top-11-reasons-for-climate-hope/