Environmental Defense Fund Expresses Concern Over Exxon Mobil Merger

December 1, 1998

“This merger is not just about market share and the price of stocks, it’s about our shared environment and the price that the Exxon Mobil merger may exact from our future,” said Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund executive director. “Exxon and Mobil have both worked against international efforts to control global warming. It’s troubling to see that the world’s biggest oil company will be made up of big opponents of greenhouse gas reduction.”

“The newly created Exxon Mobil Corp.’s operations will have wide ranging environmental impacts. Protecting the Earth from global climate change, protecting our oceans, coastal areas and wildlife from oil spills, and the need to minimize the ecological impacts of oil exploration are all matters of great concern when considering the merger.”

“While some oil companies such as British Petroleum and Shell have made commitments to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, Exxon and Mobil have opposed the climate change protocol signed by at least 60 nations. Combining these two companies will make them bigger, but not necessarily better for the environment.”