Memo to Maura Healey: attacking Exxon Mobil won’t stop climate change

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2016/11/11/memo-to-maura-healey-attacking-exxon-mobil-wont-stop-climate-change/

It has been several long months since Maura Healey subpoenaed ExxonMobil for documents going back to 1976, suggesting the company may have misled the public about climate change.

Healey’s spokespeople have said this case is about protecting Massachusetts’s consumers, investors and the public. An order from a Federal Court in Texas recently said that Healey is likely acting in bad faith, her demands appear to be strongly motivated by politics, and a desire to advocate for her opinions on climate change on a grand stage. Those are two very differing views of the situation.

Climate change is indeed a serious topic that merits attention, and the debate surrounding it must be held to the highest standards of scrutiny for both sides. The courts are not the right forum for such a complex debate. But, now that Healey has chosen that forum, she must meet the exacting standards of law, which she has yet to do.

As someone who has worked in state government, the most pressing point in this case is whether or not Healey can articulate what tangible benefits she expects Massachusetts citizens to gain in exchange for her taking precious attention from the courts, and the public money she is spending on what will certainly be a long and costly legal campaign.

Early on, Healey’s side made assertions that this case would lead to a huge financial settlement similar to what occurred in the tobacco fights back in the 1990’s. Dennis Vacco, a fellow attorney general, who was involved in the tobacco settlement has already dispelled that myth.

If all Healey is doing by attacking Exxon is proving a political point, that is not enough. It’s time Healey tells the public what’s in it for us.

If her answer is that she is protecting us from the fraudulent behavior of a company, then she should have no problem showing the Federal Court in Texas the evidence she has to that end, as that court has demanded.

If her answer is she is protecting the planet for us by exposing contributors to climate change, than she is taking us for fools.

No matter what side you are on, Climate change is complex, and the solutions aren’t as easy as “attack the oil companies,” or “build more wind turbines and solar panels.” For example: manufacturing wind turbines creates millions of tons of radioactive rare earth as a byproduct, and once manufactured turbines can kill thousands of birds. It’s much the same for the production of solar panels, with the chemical byproducts from their production being classified as toxic waste. Even electric cars are not as green as they are made out to be by some.

At the same time, like them or not, Exxon is more that just a big, old, oil company. Exxon has been on the record acknowledging climate change since well before Healey launched her political crusade. The company is investing billions of dollars in alternative energy development, including a recent $25 million dollar grant to do so at MIT. And, they are advocating for a carbon tax, which is not exactly popular among their peers in the energy business these day.

Let’s be clear: I’m not defending Exxon, or denying climate change. The bottom line is there is no silver bullet that magically makes our energy challenges disappear, and politicians will likely be the last ones to make the most significant contribution to solving the challenges we face.

Massachusetts has among the highest energy costs in the nation. By some estimates, 2 million of our citizens – one third of our population – require a subsidy to be able to afford the energy they need to heat their homes. Our business leaders consider reliable, cost effective energy supply to be a critical factor in our state’s current and future economic wellbeing. States with cheaper energy costs are taking jobs from the Commonwealth. These are the issues our political leadership should be focused on addressing.

What we need are leaders who have the courage to put good policy before their political or personal opinions regarding the energy industry. What we need are leaders who tell the real inconvenient truth: solving energy issues are complex and not all will be happy with the best solutions at a given moment in time. Technology will advance, as it always does, to make some current issues moot, even before supposed political solutions will become effective.

We will solve our planet’s problems working together, not pointing fingers to build a bigger base of enraged voters to elect us the next time we run for office. Someone needs to tell that to Maura Healey.

Joseph S. Tringale is a former staff member for the Massachusetts State Senate