California has filed a lawsuit against oil giant Exxon Mobil over its alleged role in global plastic waste pollution, its attorney general announced on Sept. 23.
Speaking at an event during Climate Week in New York City, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state sued Exxon after concluding a nearly two-year investigation that he said showed Exxon was deliberately misleading the public about the limitations of recycling.
The investigation mirrors California's previous probes into the oil industry's alleged efforts to mislead the public about climate change.
Bonta said his office specifically wants information on Exxon's promotion of its "advanced recycling" technology, which uses a process called pyrolysis to turn hard-to-recycle plastic into fuel. He had said the technology's slow progress was a sign of Exxon's ongoing deception.
"Today’s lawsuit shows the fullest picture to date of Exxon Mobil’s decades-long deception, and we are asking the court to hold Exxon Mobil fully accountable for its role in actively creating and exacerbating the plastics pollution crisis through its campaign of deception,” Bonta said in a statement.
He said he wants to end the company's "deceptive practices" and seeks to secure an abatement fund and civil penalties for the harm inflicted by plastics pollution on California.
Exxon pushed back at the attorney general, arguing that solutions like advanced recycling work.
"Suing people makes headlines but doesn’t solve the plastic waste problem. Advanced recycling is a real solution," said a spokesperson for Exxon Mobil, adding that California has done "nothing to 'advance' recycling."
Exxon is the world’s largest producer of resins used for single-use plastics, according to a report published last year by the Minderoo Foundation, with consultancies Wood Mackenzie and the Carbon Trust.
California's lawsuit comes ahead of a final round of global plastic treaty negotiations set to take place in Busan, South Korea, at the end of the year.
In those talks, countries are split over whether the treaty should call for caps on plastic production, a position opposed by Exxon and the global petrochemical industry.
The U.S. last month said it supports a treaty designed around global plastic production cuts.
Environmental groups praised the lawsuit and said it draws attention to the shortcomings of mechanical and advanced recycling.
Christy Leavitt, Oceana’s plastics campaign director, said the lawsuit will "hold industry accountable and debunk the plastics recycling narrative that holds us back from real solutions."
Recommended Reading
Startup Syzygy Sets Out to Shake Up Refining, Chemicals
2024-09-04 - Syzygy is developing combustion-free photoreactors that use light instead of heat as an energy source to produce zero- and low-emissions hydrogen and other chemicals.
Wanted: Top Young Talent for the Energy Sector
2024-11-04 - Hart Energy spoke with Preng & Associates' John Goodrum about the importance of attracting intelligent, hard-working young leaders to the energy sector.
Rice: EQT Walking the Walk on Natgas Emissions, Despite Politics
2024-09-20 - Methane emissions are falling in parts of the world as companies such as EQT, led by CEO Toby Rice, make strides to reduce emissions in their operations, although the task is not without challenges.
Don’t Get Distracted by Emissions Politics, Energy Executives Say
2024-11-20 - Eyeing profit with a keep-it-in-the-pipe mentality, executives’ thoughts are on lowering emissions, getting premiums and producing compliance-ready molecules for the EU.
Baker Hughes CEO: Transition Without Oil, Gas is a ‘Dream World’
2024-11-07 - The CEOs of Baker Hughes, SLB and Japan’s Inpex see an energy expansion that includes oil and gas—with lower emissions—as the most pragmatic way to tackle climate change.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.