Virgin Islands AG withdraws Exxon subpoena

Politico's Morning Energy reports on the Virigin Islands Attorney General Claude Walker's withdrawl of his Exxon subponea and discusses the news with Kent Lassman. 

The war between ExxonMobil and a coalition of attorneys general investigating the oil giant for alleged misrepresentations of climate science saw the end of a major battle late Wednesday, as Virgin Islands Attorney General Claude Walker agreed to withdraw his subpoena of the company. Pro’s Elana Schor had the scoop on the announcement, which came in a mutual agreement to withdraw a challenge to the subpoena that Exxon had filed in Texas court.

What comes next? Walker argued that the withdrawn subpoena would help the case against Exxon by clearing space for the Justice Department — which has not yet confirmed an official inquiry into the company’s climate record — “to focus on its ongoing investigation, without the distraction of this procedural litigation.”

Walker added in a statement that he would “continue to work with our state partners to advance our common investigation, while preserving our limited resources to address the many other issues that face the Virgin Islands and its residents.” Fifteen state AGs joined Walker and D.C. AG Karl Racine in March to announce a joint climate fight, although only the Virgin Islands, Massachusetts, New York, and California have pursued direct inquiries into Exxon.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute, hit with a subpoena from Walker that was later withdrawn in D.C. Superior Court, cheered the withdrawal. CEI President Kent Lassman said in a statement that the move showed the territory’s anti-Exxon probe was “a baseless fishing expedition from the beginning.”

Read the full article at Politico's Morning Energy.