Climate Change & Exxon

The controversy between the environment and the oil and gas industry has always been an ongoing feud.  Exxon is currently fighting for it's right to the first amendment and claiming they have a constitutional right.  Recently their have been other corporations that have argued they have an amendment right and have used that right to block laws requiring labels to disclose added sugars in food, radiation in cell phones and genetically engineered ingredients. Many corporations are now using the shield of the first amendment to deny information  to be released to the public.  In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that a federal ban on spending by corporations and unions in federal elections was unconstitutional. Justice Kennedy argued that prohibition of all independent expenditures by corporations and unions violated the First Amendment's protection of free speech, he also said that because the First Amendment does not distinguish between media and other corporations, these restrictions would allow Congress to suppress political speech in newspapers, books, television, and blogs. Thus giving corporations the right to donate unlimited amounts of money to a campaign of their choice as well as use the amendment to hide information from the public.  When Attorney General Paxton intervened in the release of information to the public the wide spread view of politicians accepting money for legislative favors became more truth than a conspiracy theory.  With Paxton receiving almost a $1 million dollars in contributions from the oil and gas industry during his run in public office the information begins to show a pattern of a bought politician.  Environmental impacts caused by corporations that create petroleum based chemicals should have to disclose all information to the public due to the possible hazards they may contain.  One such example of this was the infamous lawsuit of PG& E and the city of Hinkley, California.  PG & E dumped chromium 6 wastewater into the ponds around the town contaminating the groundwater and didn't inform the local water board until years later after many of the town citizens drank the water and later chromium 6 was linked to cancer resulting in the company paying out $333 million in damages to the town. Exxon argues that asking questions and inquiring information on their findings is encroaching on their right to freedom of political speech, however as citizens we understand that gathering more information on a topic helps us to make a better choice for our country and future of our world.  Our country runs on fossil fuels however this does not give them a right to not disclose valuable information that may help our future and prevent potential problems that may arise later.  Like the Hinkley California incident in which information that was kept from the public destroyed a community and lives all for profit.

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Coates, John. "Corporations Are Perverting the Notion of Free Speech." Newsweek. Newsweek, 04 Aug. 2015. Web. 05 July 2016.

Liptak, Adam (2010-01-21). "Justices, 5–4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit". New York Times