An Open Letter to Senators Rockefeller and Snowe

December 5, 2006

Senator John D. Rockefeller
531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Senator Olympia Snowe
154 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510


Dear Senators Rockefeller and Snowe:

I am writing to you to formally protest the abuse of your position as United States Senators that you showed in your letter to ExxonMobil Chairman Rex Tillerson dated October 27, 2006. It is not appropriate for two such politically powerful people to use their authority in order to attempt to stifle research and dissent on the very important issue of global climate change.

The climate of the earth has indeed been warming very slowly over the past 100 years. There are some like you who believe that the source of the warming has been carbon dioxide emissions. There are others who believe that the warming is caused by other factors, possibly including variations in the amount of radiation that the earth receives from the sun, which is the source of all of our heat. Clearly what is needed is more research and debate on the issue, not less. ExxonMobil’s sponsorship of groups who want to look at alternative explanations can only be a positive contribution.

In your letter, you claim that ExxonMobil’s strategy has “damaged the stature of our nation internationally”. Nothing could be further from the truth. One of the greatest sources of the strength and stature of the United States is the fact that we allow and encourage dissent in our country. In many other countries, dissent is frowned upon or even proscribed by their governments. For two government officials to use their authority and privilege in an attempt to stifle dissent constitutes an abuse of power that is not consistent with the proud tradition of the United States.

Senator Rockefeller, I am dismayed by the sheer hypocrisy shown when you suggest that ExxonMobil devote “at least some of the money it has invested in climate change denial pseudo-science to global remediation efforts.” You are a very wealthy and privileged man. The source of your wealth is money inherited from your family, passed down from your great-grandfather and namesake: John D. Rockefeller I. Your great-grandfather was the founder of Standard Oil which was subsequently split up into several companies, one of which was Standard Oil of New Jersey, which is now known as ExxonMobil. Instead of asking the current stockholders and employees of the company to pay the bill for research into your personal theories concerning climate change, why don’t you use some of your own immense wealth and pay for it yourself?


Sincerely,




James Ross McCown
Professor of Economics

Cc: Mr. Rex Tillerson