(Adds comment from Exxon, comments from Racine press
conference)
By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) - The attorney general for the
District of Columbia on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Exxon
Mobil Corp, BP Plc, Chevron Corp, and
Royal Dutch Shell Plc for "systematically and
intentionally misleading" consumers about the role their
products play in causing climate change, the latest action by a
U.S. attorney general against the oil and gas industry.
The lawsuit brought by Attorney General Karl Racine comes a
day after Minnesota AG Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against the
American Petroleum Institute, Exxon Mobil and Koch Industries
for violating state laws barring consumer fraud, deceptive trade
practices and false advertising.
"The defendants violated the District’s consumer protection
law by concealing the fact that using fossil fuels threatens the
health of District residents and the environment," Racine said
in a statement.
The intent of the legal action is to "end these
disinformation campaigns and to hold these companies accountable
for their deceptive practices,” he said.
Casey Norton, a spokesman for Exxon, said the lawsuit is
part of a "coordinated, politically motivated" campaign against
energy companies.
"The claims are baseless and without merit. We look forward
to defending the company in court," he said..
The other companies were not immediately available for
comment.
Racine told reporters on Thursday that his office only
learned of Minnesota's lawsuit when it was filed yesterday and
had been preparing this long before.
Minnesota and D.C.'s lawsuits are the latest in a string of
legal challenges by states, cities, and citizen groups targeting
fossil fuel companies over their role in global warming.
Counterparts in California, New York and Massachusetts also
filed lawsuits against oil majors but the Minnesota and DC
lawsuits focus on consumer protection.
Racine said the named companies "sought to create a false
picture" about the environmental harm that fossil fuels cause,
even as they "pivot their marketing efforts" to portray their
products as clean.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici
Editing by Marguerita Choy)
