On Friday, the climate advocacy group Climate Leadership Council (CLC) announced the suspension of ExxonMobil Corp.
CLC CEO Greg Bertelsen said, "After careful consideration, we have decided to suspend ExxonMobil's membership in both the Council and Americans for Carbon Dividends, our advocacy arm."
The suspension followed a comment from an Exxon lobbyist that the company supports a carbon tax publicly because the plan to curb climate change would never gain enough political support to be adopted. Exxon CEO Darren Woods has already condemned the comments.
Exxon will continue to be a part of the Alliance for Market Solutions, an organization also aiming to reduce carbon pollution.
For CLC, the move was a u-turn after in June it supported Exxon after the lobbyist’s comments.
Moreover, a non-profit organization World Resources Institute (WRI), a CLC member, said Exxon was not in line with the council's effort to put a price on carbon as a key response to the climate crisis.
WRI CEO Ani Dasgupta also called for companies to support a price on carbon in any future legislation that advances in Congress. "We urge all companies to re-examine their lobbying, political spending, and participation in trade associations to ensure that their actions are fully aligned with their public statements on climate change," Dasgupta said.
