Climate change and free speech at issue

WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House this month will examine the climate change investigations launched by several state attorneys general — investigations that some lawmakers and officials from energy-rich states have blasted as “witch hunts” and “extortion.”

Rep. Lamar Smith, the San Antonio Republican who chairs the Committee on Space, Science and Technology, has scheduled a hearing Sept. 14 to tackle the issue of whether Exxon Mobil and other oil companies committed fraud by downplaying the impact of climate change in statements to investors and the public. Smith has sharply criticized the investigations as undermining the free speech rights of those who have different opinions about the impact of fossil fuels on global warming.

The overwhelming consensus of scientists is that burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal accelerates global climate change by spewing large amounts of carbon dioxide, which traps heat in the earth’s atmosphere. Last year, several state attorneys general led by New York’s Eric Schneiderman launched investigations into whether oil companies knew about climate change decades ago and hid it from the public and investors.

Exxon Mobil and industry lawyers have strongly denied such allegations.

In July, Smith’s committee began investigating the investigation, issuing subpoenas to attorneys general and environmental groups. So far, they have refused to comply with subpoenas on constitutional grounds.

Environmental groups accuse Smith of putting the needs of Exxon Mobil, based in the Dallas suburb of Irving, over those of the planet.

“Maybe instead of this buffoonery, the House Science committee could call on, you know, a scientist, to re-explain the threat of climate change,” said Jamie Henn, spokesman for 350. org, a website for climate activists.