Two House Democrats Question PR Firms On Work With Fossil Fuel Companies

"Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter Wednesday to six public relations-award firms, asking for details on their work with energy companies and whether they had aided them in campaigns to obscure the link between fossil fuels and climate change.

The members specifically cited a video recorded last summer by an undercover Greenpeace activist, in which Exxon lobbyist Keith McCoy tells the videographer the company “[fought] against some of the science” and used “shadow groups” to obfuscate the link.

The letters ask the firms in question for information on campaigns they have been awarded involving oil, coal or natural gas companies and trade associations no later than Feb. 23.

Recipients of the letters included the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, Haymarket Media, the Minnesota Public Relations Society of America, PR News, and Provoke Media."

Zack Budryk reports for The Hill February 9, 2022.

Source: The Hill, 02/11/2022