DCI Group Subpoenaed in Expanding Exxon Climate Denial Investigation

Nick Surgey is CMD's Director of Research and an investigative reporter. His work has been featured in The Guardian, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post.

DCI Group, a Washington DC public relations and lobbying firm, is the latest group subpoenaed in an expanding investigation by state attorneys general into the funding of climate change denial by ExxonMobil, according to court filings reviewed by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD).

ExxonMobil has now received separate subpoenas from both the New York and U.S. Virgin Islands U.S. Attorneys' Offices. The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and DCI Group have also been subpoenaed by the U.S. Virgin Islands for records relating to their role in helping ExxonMobil with climate change denial.

Seventeen state attorneys general—calling themselves "AGs United for Clean Power"—held a press conference on March 29, announcing increased collaboration between the states in investigating the opposition to tackling climate change.

"The scope of the problem we are facing, the size of the corporate entities and their alliances, the trade associations and other groups, is massive and it requires a multistate effort," said New York Attorney General Schneiderman.

ExxonMobil has become the focus of attention from state attorneys general, after separate investigations by InsideClimate News and the LA Times/Columbia School of Journalism revealed it had known internally about the threat of climate change for several decades. InsideClimate News was a finalist for a Pulitzer for its work on the story.

Those investigations uncovered internal Exxon documents, some dating back to the 1970s, proving the company knew from its own scientists about the serious dangers to the planet from continuing to burn fossil fuels.

Despite this knowledge, Exxon poured millions of dollars into climate change denial and to groups working to obstruct any action to reduce carbon pollution.

The Greenpeace project Exxon Secrets, which tracks spending by ExxonMobil, has documented over $30 million in funding to U.S. climate denial groups from 1998-2014.

ExxonMobil continues to fund climate denial through groups including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). CMD has documented Exxon's grants to ALEC and that group's work to promote climate change denial in a letter sent to the New York Attorney General in November 2015.

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CMD has documented Exxon funding to ALEC in a letter to the NY Attorney General, which is available here.

- See more at: http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/04/13092/dci-group-subpoenaed-expanding-exxon-climate-denial-investigation#sthash.LlfMSErz.dpuf