Tillerson and Exxon environmental record: statement and background

A statement from Friends of the Earth regarding the appointment of Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil, as U.S. Secretary of State, outlining potential conflicts of interest and risks to climate and environmental policy.

• Friends of the Earth asserts that Rex Tillerson and ExxonMobil have a history of funding climate denial and concealing knowledge regarding the connection between fossil fuels and climate change. The organization claims ExxonMobil used the American Petroleum Institute to undermine the Clean Power Plan despite publicly supporting a revenue-neutral carbon tax.
• The document identifies several risks associated with Tillerson's role as Secretary of State, including the potential to carry out the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which Tillerson has repeatedly urged to be approved.
• There are concerns regarding Tillerson's relationship with Vladimir Putin and his opposition to U.S. sanctions against Russia, which have obstructed ExxonMobil's projects in the Russian Arctic. The text notes that lifting these sanctions could allow the U.S. Export-Import Bank to resume support for projects like the $27 billion Yamal LNG export project, which was suspended in 2014.
• The statement highlights potential conflicts of interest regarding Arctic drilling and fossil fuel subsidies. It notes that ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel companies receive more than $10 billion in annual U.S. government subsidies, and the U.S. Ex-Im Bank provided a $3 billion subsidy for ExxonMobil’s Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas project.

APA

Pica, E. (2016). Tillerson and Exxon environmental record: statement and background. Friends of the Earth. https://foe.org/news/2016-12-tillerson-and-exxon-environmental-record-statement-and-background/

Chicago

Pica, Erich. Tillerson and Exxon environmental record: statement and background. Friends of the Earth, 2016. https://foe.org/news/2016-12-tillerson-and-exxon-environmental-record-statement-and-background/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Pica |first1=Erich |title=Tillerson and Exxon environmental record: statement and background |publisher=Friends of the Earth |date=11 December 2016 |url=https://foe.org/news/2016-12-tillerson-and-exxon-environmental-record-statement-and-background/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{pica2016tillerson, author = {Pica, Erich}, title = {{Tillerson and Exxon environmental record: statement and background}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://foe.org/news/2016-12-tillerson-and-exxon-environmental-record-statement-and-background/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }