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Democrats urged to open Exxon probe

Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Ascendant House Democrats gearing up to aggressively probe the White House are facing pressure to pursue another target too: ExxonMobil.

Why it matters: Democrats are taking power for the first time since a wave of investigative reporting in 2015 about how much Exxon knew internally about global warming decades ago and its past funding of groups that publicly disputed the science.

Where it stands: The activist group 350.org is circulating a petition to lawmakers on their agenda — including a recommendation to investigate Exxon about the topic.

  • 350's Jamie Henn tells Axios that investigating Exxon and other major oil companies should be a "top priority" for the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

What they're saying: On Capitol Hill, nothing yet.

  • Spokespersons for top Democrats on the science panel and the Energy and Commerce Committee declined to say whether this will be part of their oversight.
  • So did a spokesperson for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is likely to become speaker again.

Quick take: I'd be somewhat surprised if Democrats launch a probe along these lines, given the long list of Trump administration investigations expected.

Go deeper:

House Democrats