House Threatens to Subpoena FTI Consulting Over Fossil Fuel Work
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2022
Contact: Jamie Henn, jamie@fossilfree.media, 415-601-9337
US House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations informs FTI Consulting that a subpoena will be issued in 7 days unless document requests are met.
Washington, DC – Today the US House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations notified communications and consulting firm FTI Consulting that they would be issuing a subpoena to compel the agency’s cooperation with the subcommittee’s ongoing investigation into fossil fuel disinformation, unless the agency produces requested documents within 7 days.
The letter reads, in part:
“On June 12, 2022, the House Committee on Natural Resources (“Committee”) sent FTI Consulting (“FTI”) a letter requesting materials relating to its public relations work on behalf of fossil fuel industry interests. In the subsequent weeks, our staff has had multiple conversations with FTI’s representation in a good-faith effort to accommodate any reasonable concerns FTI might have regarding this request. Despite such efforts, summarized below, FTI has refused to produce responsive documents, the identities of relevant clients, or even the number of relevant clients FTI served during the responsive period.”
The full letter, signed by Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva and Subcommittee on Oversights and Investigations Chair Katie Porter is available here.
FTI Consulting has run some of the most pernicious disinformation efforts for the fossil fuel industry, running numerous astroturf front groups, creating fake social media accounts, monitoring environmental activists, and lobbying against climate action
Clean Creatives is a leading campaign to end the advertising and PR industry’s work with fossil fuel companies. Executive Director Duncan Meisel said:
“FTI Consulting is responsible for some of the most misleading fossil fuel campaigns in operation today. FTI’s refusal to cooperate with this Congressional inquiry shows that they have something to hide, which will reveal the dangerous ways agencies like theirs have promoted fossil fuel greenwash and misinformation. The public deserves to know the ways in which agencies have polluted the debate about climate change, and FTI’s resistance to participate in this discussion will do damage to their reputation, and the reputation of the communications industry they are a part of.
FTI may be the first communications agency to be subpoenaed in an investigation such as this one, but they will not be the last - unless the PR and ad industry cleans up its act, and stops working for the fossil fuel industry”
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Clean Creatives is a not-for-profit industry pressure campaign created to expose the link between advertising and PR agencies and climate misinformation. Aiming to provide a solution for the industry, Clean Creatives gives agencies and employees a resource to hold their companies and business partners accountable to create a more sustainable future.
700+ creatives and 350+ agencies worldwide have signed the Clean Creatives pledge to decline future contracts with the fossil fuel industry or agencies that retain fossil fuel clients.
Clean Creatives is increasing media pressure and scrutiny on Ad and PR agencies to drop their fossil fuel contracts (Teen Vogue). Campaigns include an open letter released with the Union of Concerned Scientists that detail why 450 scientists who are calling on PR and creative agencies to drop fossil-fuel clients (Washington Post), exposing Edelman's work with Exxon and Shell (NY Times), and an Awards Show designed to expose greenwashing in the industry (Adweek).
Clean Creatives Website: cleancreatives.org
Clean Creatives Twitter: @CleanCreatives
Clean Creatives Instagram: @clean_creatives
Clean Creatives Director Duncan Meisel Twitter: @duncanwrites