From: Douglas Grandt answerthecall@me.

com
Subject:The Senate should hold S.1460 in hiatus while ExxonMobil sorts out the end of oil
Date:August 18, 2017 at 10:50 AM
To:Darren W. Woods Darren.W.Woods@ExxonMobil.com, William (Bill) M. Colton William.M.Colton@ExxonMobil.com,
Jeffrey J. Woodbury jeff.j.woodbury@exxonmobil.com, Suzanne M. McCarron Suzanne.M.McCarron@ExxonMobil.com,
Susan K. Avery, PhD savery@whoi.edu, Max Schulz max.schulz@exxonmobil.com
Cc: Colin Hayes (Senate ENR Ctee) Colin_Hayes@energy.senate.gov, Angela Becker-Dippmann (Senate ENR Ctee)
Angela_Becker-Dippmann@energy.senate.gov, Michaeleen Crowell (Sen. Sanders) Michaeleen_Crowell@sanders.senate.gov,
Thomas, Katie (Sanders) Katie_Thomas@sanders.senate.gov

Dear Darren, Bill, Jeff, Suzanne and Susan,

The writing is on the wall, and you cannot deny it. The end of oil is approaching quickly.

You are irresponsible and arrogant to think that you will continue business as usual
while the trends are obviously against you.

You need to begin revamping your business plan, and start looking seriously at options
to wind down operations in a gracefulalbeit challenging and emotionally painful
smooth landing that causes the least negative repercussions on society and economy.

You would be wise to collaborate with Congress to arrange for the legal provisions that
will keep your business operations in the Public Interest and in the National Interest,
while expectations are that you exercise fiduciary duty during the endgame of your
business. You will understand that Fiduciary duty is in direct contradiction with Public
and National Interest if you ponder the implications carefully, which I am certain you
already have done. So why are you not publicly announcing what you already know?

I implore my Senators and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to
retract Senate Bill S.1460 - Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017
(congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1460) and hold S.1460 in hiatus while
conducting hearings for you and other appropriate ExxonMobil executives and other
U.S. petroleum executives to testify how you are planning for the winding down or
petroleum. Your frank and honest responses will beg questions thus far suppressed.

Sincerely yours,
Doug Grandt

Top 11 Reasons for Climate Hope

AUGUST 14, 2017 BY SHANNA EDBERG LEAVE A COMMENT

We know theres been a lot of bad news on climate change lately. But there is
plenty of good news too, and we think its just as urgent that people hear the good
that is happening around the globe. Recognizing the progress the world has made
keeps us hopeful and avoids the feeling of helplessness that can stop us from
moving forward and taking action. So Climate Interactive has been gathering
reasons to be hopeful about the climate.
Our Co-Director Drew Jones has been sharing this list to live audiences recently,
including the Sierra Club and the Citizens Climate Lobby (click links for video). He
found that it resonated with many climate leaders, and we hope it resonates with
you, too. So here are our top 11 reasons for climate hope:

11. US Cities and States Are Acting on the Climate

A citizens climate movement is awakening in the United States. After President
Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, dozens of US states and
hundreds of cities, counties, tribes, museums, and universities committed
themselves to Paris-level emissions reductions. More than half of the US
population now lives in an area that is committed to reducing emissions in line with
the Paris Agreement goals. Every week the number of commitments grows, and
brings the US closer to its Paris Agreement emissions reductions target.

10. There Is Bipartisan Support for Action in the US Congress

There is also support for climate action in the US federal government and whats
more, its bipartisan. The Climate Solutions Caucus of the US House of
Representatives was created in 2016. Composed of an equal number of
Democrats and Republicans, the caucus crafts bipartisan legislation dealing with
the causes and impacts of climate change. The caucus itself was formed after a
long lobbying effort from the Citizens Climate Lobby, showing the power of citizen
efforts to raise political awareness of climate change.
9. Global CO2 Emissions Are Leveling Off
In order to keep global warming below 2C, carbon emissions need to peak, and peak
soon. And there is evidence that this is already happening. According to the
International Energy Agency, global carbon dioxide emissions have remained flat for the
past three years, even as the global economy grew. This shows that the world economy
is beginning to decarbonize. But while this is a good sign, we must ensure that this is a
true peak rather than a pause, and start working to decrease those emissions.
8. Countries Are Setting Prices on Carbon
Forty countries and 24 cities, states, and regions are putting a price on carbon,
according to the World Bank. And the carbon price movement is growing the
share of global emissions covered by a carbon price has tripled in the past ten
years. Seven out of the 10 largest global economies have now put a price on
carbon. Whats more, the World Bank reports that a rapidly growing number of
companies have begun to use internal carbon pricing in the past year, and more
international platforms have been introduced to encourage the uptake of carbon
prices around the world.
7. We Are Hitting the Tipping Point on Renewable Energy
There is a feedback loop for renewable energy production: as demand for
renewable energy goes up, R&D, economies of scale, and public acceptance of
renewable energy technologies all rise. This brings the cost of producing
renewable energy down, which in turn reduces the price of renewable energy.

This price drop continues the cycle, as demand for renewables rises when the
price goes down, and yet more renewable energy is diffused. The good news is
that this virtuous cycle is well under way, as seen by the incredible drops in the
cost of wind and solar technology in the past several years. In fact, Bloomberg
predicts that solar power will become the cheapest energy source almost
everywhere in the world within the next ten years. The market is driving these
changes, but with the implementation of clean energy subsidies and/or carbon
pricing, this cycle will accelerate even further.
6. Chinese Coal Consumption Is Going Down
China is the worlds biggest producer and consumer of coal, but it may be turning
a corner. Although Chinese coal production and consumption rose hugely during
the 2000s, it appears to have peaked in the 2010s and is now beginning to
decline. Along with this change, Chinas renewable energy sector is flourishing,
growing faster than its fossil fuel and nuclear power capacity.
5. The Paris Climate Agreement Is Coordinating International
Action
The Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015, was an important breakthrough in
the international negotiations on climate change. Despite President Trumps recent
high-profile exit from the Agreement, it continues to provide a powerful framework for
194 countries in the world to work together to set and address climate goals. While the
current emissions pledges in the Agreement do not limit us to 2C of warming, with
increased action to reduce fossil fuel emissions, the participating countries could set the
world on a path to 2C or lower.

4. We Are Multisolving Realizing the Multiple Benefits of

Climate Action
As if climate change alone wasnt
enough reason to stop burning
fossil fuels, we are finding out
more about the ways that
preventing climate change can
also bring about economic, health,
and other co-benefits. For
example, planting a tree
sequesters carbon emissions,
which helps reduce climate
change. But that tree will also
clean the air and soil around it,
provide cooling shade in the
summer, and reduce the noise of
city life. Another example:
designing a neighborhood to be
walkable will reduce the number of
cars on the road, but it will also
 cars on the road, but it will also
increase the health of residents and help those who cant afford a car. We call these
intersections of climate, justice, and well-being multisolving, and it is encouraging to see
that so many problems can be addressed with the same budget and intervention. Also,
when we keep these connections in mind, we can forge alliances with groups fighting
for better healthcare, for social justice, and for many other causes.

In short, we are realizing that acting on climate pays dividends.

3. Social Change Looks Impossible, Until Its Completed

How long does it take to accomplish long-term
change? In the US, Bloomberg found theres a
pattern: a few pioneers will get out ahead of the
issue, and then years or decades later a key
event (such as a landmark court case or the
maturation of a grassroots campaign) will take
place that ushers in a cascade of new
supporters, and finally a federal law on the issue.
Whats more, the pace of social change seems to
be accelerating: it took centuries for interracial
marriage to go from being acceptable in a few US
First they ignore you,
states to becoming federal law, whereas gay
marriage took a little more than a decade to then they ridicule you,
make the same transition. These booms that then they fight you, and
bring about change often seem unpredictable, then you win.
even on the cusp of such an event.
even on the cusp of such an event.

The world ended the slave trade in the 19th century and apartheid in the 20th. If
we keep up the pressure, then climate change could be the next frontier for global
change.

2. We Are Divesting from Fossil Fuels

Beginning as a movement in 2011, young people
on campuses across the US were determined
that their college or university should not be
putting money into fossil fuels, and urged their
schools to divest their endowments away from
fossil fuel companies. Today, 668 institutions
around the world have joined the divestment
movement, representing governments, NGOs,
faith-based organizations, educational
institutions, and more. The Guardian reports that
this has been the fastest-growing divestment
movement in history, and almost $5.5 trillion in global assets has been divested
thus far.
1. Standing Rock Shows the Promise of Grassroots Activism
In early 2016 in the midwestern United States, a diverse coalition of Native
American tribes began to protest the construction of the Dakota Access
underground oil pipeline that was an impending threat to their water supply and
sacred sites. The protests escalated over a period of months, and the original
protesters were joined in support by 87 Native American governments, Black Lives
Matter supporters, indigenous leaders in South America, and other civil rights and
environmental groups. After several twists, turns, victories, and setbacks, the
pipeline became operational in June 2017. However, a federal judge has ruled that
the permit authorizing the pipeline violated the law, and the Standing Rock Sioux
tribe has filed a brief to ask for the pipeline to be shut down while a more thorough
environmental review is conducted.

This incredible protest showed the power of a grassroots movement led by Native
Americans and those most vulnerable to fossil fuel exploitation. It showed that we
can pull together and make common cause with diverse coalitions to protect
indigenous sovereignty and land rights while working to keep fossil fuels in the
ground. To keep the momentum going, we must continue to reach across
traditional boundaries and build support to make a better world for all.
Climate Change Is a Fixable Problem
If theres anything that these signs of hope show, its that we can do it. It may take
a strong, coordinated, and global effort to keep fossil fuels in the ground and
spread renewable energy, but we can do it. We know what it takes to reduce
climate change, and we know that we must move forward together.

Think about your role in this effort seeing all these reasons for hope, all of these
effective strategies, what part could you play? Could you ask your organization to
divest from fossil fuels, or pressure your elected officials for a carbon price, or add
to the demand for renewable energy, or join a coalition like the Standing Rock
activists?

Whatever you choose to do, always keep this in mind:

Its not going to be easy. Its going to be worth it.

https://www.climateinteractive.org/blog/top-11-reasons-for-climate-hope/