The Virgin Islands attorney general has demanded communications between Exxon Mobil and more than 100 U.S. universities, scientists, academics and think tanks as part of his investigation into climate change dissent.
An unredacted copy of the March 15 Exxon Mobil subpoena, obtained Tuesday by The Washington Times, shows Attorney General Claude E. Walker casting a broad net as part of his probe into whether the company committed fraud by challenging the catastrophic climate change narrative.
Among the institutions targeted are Arizona State University, George Mason University, Lindenwood University, the Weidenbaum Center at Washington University in St. Louis, the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University.
Mr. Walker, one of 17 attorneys general who announced last month that they would join forces to pursue climate change fraud, issued a subpoena last month to the free market Competitive Enterprise Institute, but the unredacted Exxon Mobil document shows that CEI wasn’t his only target.
The Exxon Mobil subpoena includes a veritable who’s who of conservative and free market organizations, including The Heritage Foundation, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, the Heartland Institute, the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, the Manhattan Institute, FreedomWorks and the Media Research Center.
The subpoena also lists pro-business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the National Black Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Oil and Gas Association.
The disclosure came as a surprise to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “This is the first time we’re seeing this list, and we find it very curious,” the organization said in an email response to a request for comment.
“Regardless, the Chamber is not going to let this sideshow impact what it does. We’re focused on issues related to American jobs, economic growth, and the nation’s energy future,” said the statement.
Academics listed on the subpoena include prominent climate change skeptics such as Richard Lindzen, professor emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Alabama climate scientist John Christy; and University of Delaware climatology professor David R. Legates.
See related story on CEI’s efforts with a link to unredacted subpoena.
