CEO DATELINE - Total exits American Petroleum Institute over climate change policy
CEO DATELINE - Total exits American Petroleum Institute over climate change policy
- January 15, 2021 |
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Walt Williams
The French oil giant Total announced Friday that it would leave the American Petroleum Institute after a review determined the U.S.-based association is not aligned with the company's positions on climate change.
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Total began reviewing its membership in various trade groups in 2019 to see if those groups echoed the company's own support for policies to mitigate climate change. Total left the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers following the review but it remained a member of API, staying in the latter group because it was "partially aligned" with the company's own positions.
Total conducted another review in 2020 and found there were still a number of key divergences, including on the role of natural gas, decarbonization and carbon pricing, according to a company statement. Total also noted API gave political donations to lawmakers who supported withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate.
"The (Total) Group acknowledges the API's considerable contribution, for over a century, to the development of our industry," Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné said. "Nevertheless, as part of our Climate Ambition made public in May 2020, we are committed to ensuring, in a transparent manner, that the industry associations of which we are a member adopt positions and messages that are aligned with those of the Group in the fight against climate change."
In a pair of tweets, API thanked Total for its membership.
"We believe that the world's energy & environmental challenges are large enough that many different approaches are necessary to solve them & we benefit from a diversity of views," API said.
Total's departure from AFPM in 2019 was followed by the exit of London-based oil and gas company BP, which also objected to the association's position on climate policy. BP remains an API member. In addition, API was targeted in two separate lawsuits last year by Minnesota and Hoboken, N.J., with both alleging the trade group misled the public on the dangers of climate change.
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