"The battle over Exxon Mobil and the issue of climate change took a new turn Wednesday.

Environmental groups, citing constitutional rights, said they would not comply with a sweeping request for information from the House Committee on Space, Science and Technology led by Chairman Lamar S. Smith (R-Tex.).

The environmental groups and foundations said the request was unreasonably broad, violated their rights to free speech and free assembly, and interfered with their right to petition government officials.

On May 18, Smith’s committee had asked for any communications that might show that eight leading environmental groups and nonprofit foundations — along with the attorneys general from about 20 states — had coordinated a legal strategy to uncover internal information about climate change that they allege Exxon Mobil had concealed for decades. Smith also asked for communications between environmental groups related to state investigations into Exxon Mobil and whether the oil giant had violated securities and consumer fraud laws."

Steven Mufson reports for the Washington Post June 1, 2016. [2]