"Congressmen Call on SEC to Investigate Exxon's Climate Disclosures"

"Four members of the House want the Securities and Exchange Commission to look into whether the oil giant violated the law."

"Four members of Congress asked the Securities and Exchange Commission late Friday to investigate ExxonMobil's past federal filings to determine if the company violated securities laws by failing to adequately disclose material risks to its business posed by climate change.

The letter to the SEC from members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, led by California Democrat Ted Lieu, cites recent separate investigative series by InsideClimate News and The Los Angeles Times regarding Exxon's early research into climate change. The articles revealed that Exxon's top management (NYSE: XOM) knew as far as back as the late 1970s of the threat of global warming from the burning of fossil fuels. A decade later, the company spearheaded industry efforts to derail regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and cloud public understanding of climate science.

The call for an SEC inquiry is the latest in a growing chorus of lawmakers, politicians and activists pressing for federal probes into Exxon's handling of climate change.  Members of the House and Senate have asked the Justice Department to investigate the company. Late last week, Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton joined fellow candidates Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley in demanding a Justice Department inquiry. A coalition of nearly 50 environmental and other watchdog groups last Friday also mounted a campaign for an investigation."

Neela Banerjee reports for InsideClimate News November 2, 2015.