If the devastating flooding and scorching heat hasn’t made it clear, data confirms that the climate crisis is dramatically altering the Michigan we know and love. The burning of fossil fuels has increased temperatures, intensified storms and put our environment in jeopardy.
Responding to this crisis will take leaders from every sector and a multitude of solutions. As a legislator, it’s my job to enact policies that protect our communities from environmental harm and further our transition to cleaner, more affordable energy options.
But, we also can’t ignore how we got into this mess. Major fossil fuel companies have known for decades that their products could lead to “dramatic climatic changes” and require a shift away from oil and gas. To protect their massive profits, companies like ExxonMobil and others took a page from the Big Tobacco playbook and ran ads insisting the science was “unsettled” while they lobbied against solutions. This deception stole precious time in the fight against climate change, and now Michiganders are paying the price.
No company should be allowed to sell a product they know is harmful, lie about it and get away with it. That’s why I’m glad that Michigan’s top law enforcement official is now taking steps to hold Big Oil accountable.
Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that her office plans on bringing legal action against fossil fuel companies for their deception and the damage they have caused our state.
“While they bring in enormous profits, we here in Michigan are experiencing negative health impacts, changes to the state’s agricultural products, an impact on tourism and annual events, harm to our natural resources, an increase in emergency response costs and so much more,” Nessel said. “…Michigan taxpayers didn’t create this problem, and they shouldn’t have to foot the bill to address it.”
The history of the fossil fuel industry’s deception is long and well documented. In 1978, the same year Michigan was hit with the Great Blizzard, Exxon’s internal researchers found that “there is general scientific agreement that the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate is through carbon dioxide release from the burning of fossil fuels.” But nearly two decades later, in 1997, Exxon CEO Lee Raymond publicly stated that “most of the greenhouse effect comes from natural sources,” and burning fossil fuels represented a “tiny sliver” of input in the burgeoning climate crisis. Even in 2006, the same year Michigan suffered a near record-high heat wave, Exxon was continuing to push “inaccurate and misleading” science, according to the U.K. Royal Academy.
Fossil fuel companies have had the answers to the climate crisis for decades, but have chosen to lie to us about the dangers of their products to protect their enormous profits — and they’re still lying. A recent congressional investigation found that Big Oil has evolved from outright denying climate change to “spreading disinformation and perpetuating doublespeak” about false climate solutions. Congressional leaders referred their findings to the Department of Justice, making comparisons to the historic federal lawsuit against Big Tobacco.
When those companies and others — from opioid manufacturers to forever chemical producers — lied about the harms of their products, Michigan took steps to hold them accountable. Now it’s Big Oil’s turn, and I’m proud that Attorney General Nessel is fighting on our behalf.
Jason Morgan is a Michigan State Representative and can be reached at JasonMorgan@house.mi.gov.
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