The Exxon Mobil Corporation, or ExxonMobil, is an American ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language multinational A multinational corporation or transnational corporation (TNC), also called multinational enterprise (MNE), is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred as an international corporation. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has defined[citation needed] an MNC oil Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, toxic, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, and other organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling. It is refined and separated, most easily by and gas Natural gas is a gas consisting primarily of methane. It is found associated with other fossil fuels, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is created by methanogenic organisms in marshes, bogs, and landfills. It is an important fuel source, a major feedstock for fertilizers, and a potent greenhouse gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil magnate. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and aggressively ran it until he officially retired in 1897. Standard Oil began as an Ohio partnership formed by John D. Rockefeller, his brother's Standard Oil Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational corporations until it was broken up by the United company,[3] and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon Exxon is a brand of motor fuel and related products sold by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard and Mobil Mobil is a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company. Its former headquarters in Fairfax County, Virginia, are currently used as ExxonMobil's downstream headquarters. Its headquarters are located in Irving, Texas Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 191,615; the 2006 estimate was 201,927 according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and 196,084 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division.

ExxonMobil is one of the largest publicly traded companies The following is a list of public companies having the greatest market capitalization. Market capitalization is calculated from the share price multiplied by the number of shares issued. Figures are converted into USD (using rate from selected day) to allow comparison in the world, having been ranked either #1 or #2 for the past 5 years. Exxon Mobil's reserves were 72 billion oil-equivalent barrels at the end of 2007 and, at then (2007) rates of production, are expected to last over 14 years.[4] The company has 38 oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas. Oil refineries are typically large sprawling industrial complexes with extensive piping running in 21 countries constituting a combined daily refining capacity of 6.3 million barrels.[5][6][7]

ExxonMobil is the largest of the six oil supermajors The term supermajor, also called International Oil Company , illustrates the six largest, non state-owned energy companies, as seen in popular financial news media around the world[8] with daily production of 3.921 million BOE (barrels of oil equivalent The barrel of oil equivalent is a unit of energy based on the approximate energy released by burning one barrel (42 US gallons or 158.9873 litres) of crude oil. The US Internal Revenue Service defines it as equal to 5.8 × 106 BTU. The value is necessarily approximate as various grades of oil have slightly different heating values). In 2008, this was approximately 3% of world production, which is less than several of the largest state-owned petroleum companies.[9] When ranked by oil and gas reserves it is 14th in the world with less than 1% of the total.[10][11]

Contents

Organization

The Exxon Mobil Corporation headquarters Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The corporate headquarters is the entity at the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities. In the UK, the term 'head office' is most commonly used for the HQs of large corporations are located in Irving, Texas Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 191,615; the 2006 estimate was 201,927 according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and 196,084 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division. ExxonMobil markets products around the world under the brands of Exxon Exxon is a brand of motor fuel and related products sold by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard, Mobil Mobil is a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company. Its former headquarters in Fairfax County, Virginia, are currently used as ExxonMobil's downstream headquarters, and Esso Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced /ˈɛsoʊ/ , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1973, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by the Exxon brand, while Esso remained. It also owns hundreds of smaller subsidiaries such as Imperial Oil Limited Imperial Oil Limited (TSX: IMO AMEX: IMO) is Canada's largest petroleum company. The company is engaged in the exploration, production and sale of crude oil and natural gas. It is controlled by US based ExxonMobil, which owns 69.6% of its stock. Imperial owns 25% of Syncrude Canada Ltd., the world's largest producer of synthetic crude oil from (69.6% ownership) in Canada, and SeaRiver Maritime, a petroleum shipping company.

The upstream division dominates the company's cashflow, accounting for approximately 70% of revenue. The company employs over 82,000 people worldwide, as indicated in ExxonMobil's 2006 Corporate Citizen Report, with approximately 4,000 employees in its Fairfax downstream headquarters and 27,000 people in its Houston upstream headquarters.

Operating divisions

ExxonMobil is organized functionally into a number of global operating divisions. These divisions are grouped into three categories for reference purposes, though the company also has several ancillary divisions, such as Coal & Minerals, which are stand alone.

Chart of the major energy In physics, energy is a quantity that can be assigned to any particle, object, or system of objects as a consequence of its physical state. Different forms of energy include kinetic, potential, thermal, gravitational, sound, elastic and electromagnetic energy. The forms of energy are often named after a related force. German physicist Hermann von companies dubbed "Big Oil", sorted by latest published revenue

Operating divisions by category are as follows:

History

ExxonMobil Building, ExxonMobil offices in Downtown Houston Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district. The tunnel system is home to many fast food

Exxon Mobil Corporation was formed in 1999 by the merger of two major oil companies, Exxon and Mobil. Both Exxon and Mobil were descendants of the John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil magnate. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and aggressively ran it until he officially retired in 1897. Standard Oil began as an Ohio partnership formed by John D. Rockefeller, his brother corporation, Standard Oil Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational corporations until it was broken up by the United which was established in 1870. The reputation of Standard Oil in the public eye suffered badly after publication of Ida M. Tarbell Ida Minerva Tarbell was an American teacher, author and journalist. She was known as one of the leading "muckrakers" of the progressive era, work known in modern times as "investigative journalism." She wrote many notable magazine series and biographies. She is best-known for her 1904 book The History of the Standard Oil's classic exposé The History of the Standard Oil Company in 1904, leading to a growing outcry for the government to take action against the company.

By 1911, with public outcry While many believe the term was coined by Stanley Cohen to describe press reporting and the reaction of the establishment to the behaviour of mods and rockers, it was actually first used by his colleague Jock Young in reference to the reaction to drug takers in Notting Hill at a climax, the Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States, and leads the federal judiciary. It consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices, who are nominated by the President and confirmed with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. Once appointed, Justices effectively ruled that Standard Oil must be dissolved and split into 34 companies. Two of these companies were Jersey Standard ("Standard Oil Company The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline (petrol). Petroleum is also the raw material for many chemical products, including pharmaceuticals, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and of New Jersey"), which eventually became Exxon, and Socony ("Standard Oil Company of New York"), which eventually became Mobil.

In the same year, the nation's kerosene Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin in UK and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros . The word Kerosene was registered as a trademark by Abraham Gesner in 1854 and for several years only the North American Gas Light Company and the Downer output was eclipsed for the first time by gasoline Gasoline or petrol is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture which is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It is also used as a solvent, mainly known for its ability to dilute paints. The growing automotive An automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the market inspired the product trademark A trademark or trade mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities Mobiloil, registered by Socony in 1920.

Over the next few decades, both companies grew significantly. Jersey Standard, led by Walter C. Teagle, became the largest oil producer in the world. It acquired a 50 percent share in Humble Oil & Refining Co. Humble Oil and Refining Co. was founded in 1911. The company would later consolidate with Standard Oil of New Jersey to become Exxon, a Texas Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and sixth largest United States metropolitan areas, respectively. Other major cities include El Paso and Austin—the oil producer. Socony purchased a 45 percent interest in Magnolia Petroleum Co., a major refiner, marketer and pipeline transporter. In 1931, Socony merged with Vacuum Oil Co., an industry pioneer dating back to 1866 and a growing Standard Oil spin-off in its own right.

In the Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific or Apac is the part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean. The area includes much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania. Sometimes the term Asia-Pacific includes South Asia[citation needed], though Pakistan, India and their neighbours are on or near the Indian Ocean rather than the Pacific Ocean. The term may region, Jersey Standard had oil production and refineries in Indonesia Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesian: Republik Indonesia), is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands. With a population of around 230 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, and has the world's largest population of Muslims. Indonesia is a republic, with an but no marketing network. Socony-Vacuum had Asian marketing outlets supplied remotely from California. In 1933, Jersey Standard and Socony-Vacuum merged their interests in the region into a 50-50 joint venture. Standard-Vacuum Oil Co., or "Stanvac," operated in 50 countries, from East Africa East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa: to New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori language name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud. The Realm of New Zealand also, before it was dissolved in 1962.

Mobil Chemical Company The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. It is central to modern world economy, converting raw materials into more than 70,000 different products was established in 1950. As of 1999, its principal products included basic olefins In organic chemistry, an alkene, olefin, or olefine is an unsaturated chemical compound containing at least one carbon-to-carbon double bond. The simplest acyclic alkenes, with only one double bond and no other functional groups, form an homologous series of hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n and aromatics In organic chemistry, the structures of some rings of atoms are unexpectedly stable. Aromaticity is a chemical property in which a conjugated ring of unsaturated bonds, lone pairs, or empty orbitals exhibit a stabilization stronger than would be expected by the stabilization of conjugation alone. It can also be considered a manifestation of cyclic, ethylene glycol Ethylene glycol is an organic compound widely used as an automotive antifreeze and a precursor to polymers. In its pure form, it is an odorless, colorless, syrupy, sweet-tasting liquid. Ethylene glycol is toxic, and ingestion can result in death and polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (IUPAC name polyethene or poly) is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons. Its primary use is within packaging (notably the plastic shopping bag). The company produced synthetic lubricant base stocks as well as lubricant additives, propylene Propene, also known as propylene, is an unsaturated organic compound having the chemical formula C3H6. It has one double bond, and is the second simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons, and it is also second in natural abundance packaging films and catalysts Catalysis is the change in rate of a chemical reaction due to the participation of a substance called a catalyst. Unlike other reagents that participate in the chemical reaction, a catalyst is not consumed by the reaction itself. A catalyst may participate in multiple chemical transformations. Catalysts that speed the reaction are called positive. Exxon Chemical Company (first named Enjay Chemicals) became a worldwide organization in 1965 and in 1999 was a major producer and marketer of olefins, aromatics, polyethylene and polypropylene Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer, made by the chemical industry and used in a wide variety of applications, including packaging, textiles (e.g. ropes, thermal underwear and carpets), stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, along with speciality lines such as elastomers, plasticizers, solvents, process fluids, oxo alcohols and adhesive resins. The company was an industry leader in metallocene catalyst technology to make unique polymers with improved performance.

In 1955, Socony-Vacuum became Socony Mobil Oil Co. and in 1966 simply Mobil Oil Corp. A decade later, the newly incorporated Mobil Corporation absorbed Mobil Oil as a wholly owned subsidiary. Jersey Standard changed its name to Exxon Corporation in 1972 and established Exxon as a trademark throughout the United States. In other parts of the world, Exxon and its affiliated companies continued to use its Esso trademark.

On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska and spilled more than 11 million gallons (42,000 m³) of crude oil. The Exxon Valdez oil spill was the second largest in U.S. history, and in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez incident, the U.S. Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. An initial award of $5 billion USD punitive was reduced to $507.5 million by the US Supreme Court in June 2008, and distributions of this award have commenced.

In 1998, Exxon and Mobil signed a US$73.7 billion definitive agreement to merge and form a new company called Exxon Mobil Corporation, the largest company on the planet. After shareholder and regulatory approvals, the merger was completed on November 30, 1999. The merger of Exxon and Mobil was unique in American history because it reunited the two largest companies of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil trust, Standard Oil Company of New Jersey/Exxon and Standard Oil Company of New York/Mobil, which had been forcibly separated by government order nearly a century earlier. This reunion resulted in the largest merger in US corporate history.

In 2000, ExxonMobil sold a refinery in Benicia, California and 340 Exxon-branded stations to Valero Energy Corporation, as part of an FTC-mandated divestiture of California assets. ExxonMobil continues to supply petroleum products to over 700 Mobil-branded retail outlets in California.

In 2005, ExxonMobil's stock price surged in parallel with rising oil prices, surpassing General Electric as the largest corporation in the world in terms of market capitalization. At the end of 2005, it reported record profits of US $36 billion in annual income, up 42% from the previous year (the overall annual income was an all-time record for annual income by any business, and included $10 billion in the third quarter alone, also an all-time record income for a single quarter by any business). The company and the American Petroleum Institute (the oil and chemical industry's lobbying organization) put these profits in context by comparing oil industry profits to those of other large industries such as pharmaceuticals and banking.[12][13]

On June 12, 2008, ExxonMobil announced that it was exiting the retail fuel business, citing the increasing difficulty to run gas stations under rising crude oil costs. The multi-year process will gradually phase the corporation out of the direct market, and will affect 820 company-owned stations and approximately 1,400 other stations operated by dealers distributing across the United States. The sale will not result in the disappearance of Exxon and Mobil branded stations; the new owners will continue to sell ExxonMobil gasoline and license the appropriate names from ExxonMobil, who will in turn be compensated for use of the brand.[14]

In 2010, ExxonMobil bought XTO Energy, the company focused on development and production of unconventional resources.[15]

Corporate affairs

The current Chairman of the Board and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation is Rex Tillerson. Tillerson assumed the top position on January 1, 2006, on the retirement of long-time chairman and CEO, Lee Raymond, who received a retirement and severance package of approximately $400 million USD, of which some were critical.

Board of directors

As of February 5, 2009)[update], the current Exxon Mobil board members are:[16]

Joint ventures and other strategic alliances

Production

ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3 percent of the world's oil and about 2 percent of the world's energy.[17]

Revenue and profits

In 2005, ExxonMobil surpassed Wal-Mart as the world's largest publicly held corporation when measured by revenue, although Wal-Mart remained the largest by number of employees.[18] ExxonMobil's $340 billion revenues in 2005 were a 25.5 percent increase over their 2004 revenues.

In 2006, Wal-Mart recaptured the lead with revenues of $348.7 billion against ExxonMobil's $335.1. ExxonMobil continued to lead the world in both profits ($39.5 billion in 2006) and market value ($460.43 billion).[19]

In 2007, ExxonMobil had a record net income of $40.61 billion on $404.552 of revenue, an increase largely due to escalating oil prices as their actual oil equivalent production decreased by 1%, in part due to expropriation of their Venezuelan assets by the Chavez government.[20]

As of July 1, 2010, ExxonMobil occupied 8 out of 10 slots for Largest Corporate Quarterly Earnings of All Time. Furthermore, it occupies 5 out of 10 slots on Largest Corporate Annual Earnings.[21][22]

Financial data

Financial Data USD millions[23]
Year-end 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Total revenue 358 955 365 467 390 328 459 579 301 500
Net income 36 130 39 500 40 610 45 220 19 280
Total assets 208 335 219 015 242 082 228 052 233 323
Total debt 7 991 8 347 9 566 9 425 9 605

Environmental record

While it has been a contributor to environmental causes (the company donated $6.6 million to environmental and social groups in 2007)[24], ExxonMobil's environmental record has been a target of critics from outside organizations such as Greenpeace as well as some institutional investors who disagree with its stance on global warming.[25] The Political Economy Research Institute ranks ExxonMobil sixth among corporations emitting airborne pollutants in the United States. The ranking is based on the quantity (15.5 million pounds in 2005) and toxicity of the emissions.[26] In 2005, ExxonMobil had committed less than 1% of their profits towards researching alternative energy,[27] less than other leading oil companies.[28]

Exxon Valdez oil spill

Main article: Exxon Valdez oil spill

The March 24, 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in the discharge of approximately 11 million gallons of oil (240,000 barrels) into Prince William Sound,[29] oiling 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of the remote Alaskan coastline. The State of Alaska's Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council stated that the spill "is widely considered the number one spill worldwide in terms of damage to the environment",[29] but many larger spills have occurred.

Exxon was widely criticized for its slow response to cleaning up the disaster. John Devens, the Mayor of Valdez, has said his community felt betrayed by Exxon's inadequate response to the crisis.[30] Exxon later removed the name "Exxon" from its tanker shipping subsidiary, which it renamed "SeaRiver Maritime." The renamed subsidiary, though wholly Exxon-controlled, has a separate corporate charter and board of directors, and the former Exxon Valdez is now the SeaRiver Mediterranean. The renamed tanker is legally owned by a small, stand-alone company, which would have minimal ability to pay out on claims in the event of a further accident.[31]

After a trial, a jury ordered Exxon to pay $5 billion in punitive damages, though an appeals court reduced that amount by half. Exxon appealed further, and on June 25, 2008, the United States Supreme Court lowered the amount to $500 million.[32]

In 2009, Exxon still uses more single-hull tankers than the rest of the largest ten oil companies combined, including the Valdez's sister ship, the SeaRiver Long Beach.[33]

Exxon's Brooklyn oil spill

Main article: Greenpoint oil spill

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced on July 17, 2007 that he had filed suit against the Exxon Mobil Corporation and ExxonMobil Refining and Supply Company to force cleanup of the oil spill at Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and to restore Newtown Creek.[34]

A study of the spill released by the US Environmental Protection Agency in September 2007 reported[35] that the spill consists of approximately 17 to 30 million gallons of petroleum products from the mid 1800's to the mid 1900's[36]. The largest portion of these operations were by ExxonMobil or its predecessors. By comparison, the Exxon Valdez oil spill was approximately 11 million gallons.[29] The study reported that in the early 1900s Standard Oil of New York operated a major refinery in the area where the spill is located. The refinery produced fuel oils, gasoline, kerosene and solvents. Naptha and gas oil, secondary products, were also stored in the refinery area. Standard Oil of New York later became Mobil, a predecessor to Exxon/Mobil.[37]

Sakhalin-I in the Russian Far East

Main article: Sakhalin-I

Scientists and environmental groups voice concern that the Sakhalin-I oil and gas project in the Russian Far East, operated by an ExxonMobil subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas Limited (ENL),[38][39] threatens the critically endangered western gray whale population.[40][41][42] In February, 2009, independent scientists, convened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature issued an urgent call for a "...moratorium on all industrial activities, both maritime and terrestrial, that have the potential to disturb gray whales in summer and autumn on and near their main feeding areas" following a sharp decline in observed whales in the main feeding area in 2008, adjacent to ENL's project area.[43] The scientists also criticized ENL’s unwillingness to cooperate with the scientific panel process, which “certainly impedes the cause of western gray whale conservation.” [44]

Funding of global warming skeptics

ExxonMobil has been accused of paying to fuel skepticism of anthropogenic global warming[45][46]

ExxonMobil has drawn criticism from the environmental lobby for funding organizations critical of the Kyoto Protocol and skeptical of the scientific opinion that global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. According to Mother Jones Magazine, the company was a member of one of the first such skeptic groups, the Global Climate Coalition, founded in 1989.[47] According to The Guardian, ExxonMobil has funded, among other groups skeptical of global warming, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, George C. Marshall Institute, Heartland Institute, Congress on Racial Equality, TechCentralStation.com, and International Policy Network.[48][49] ExxonMobil's support for these organizations has drawn criticism from the Royal Society, the academy of sciences of the United Kingdom.[50] The Union of Concerned Scientists released a report in 2007 accusing ExxonMobil of spending $16 million, between 1998 and 2005, towards 43 advocacy organizations which dispute the impact of global warming.[51] The report argued that ExxonMobil used disinformation tactics similar to those used by the tobacco industry in its denials of the link between lung cancer and smoking, saying that the company used "many of the same organizations and personnel to cloud the scientific understanding of climate change and delay action on the issue."[51] These charges are consistent with a purported 1998 internal ExxonMobil strategy memo, posted by the environmental group Environmental Defense, stating

Victory will be achieved when
  • Average citizens [and the media] 'understand' (recognize) uncertainties in climate science; recognition of uncertainties becomes part of the 'conventional wisdom' …
  • Industry senior leadership understands uncertainties in climate science, making them stronger ambassadors to those who shape climate policy
  • Those promoting the Kyoto treaty on the basis of extant science appear out of touch with reality.[52]

ExxonMobil has been reported as having plans to invest up to US$100m over a ten year period in Stanford University's Global Climate and Energy Project.[53]

In August 2006, the Wall Street Journal revealed that a YouTube video lampooning Al Gore, titled Al Gore's Penguin Army, appeared to be astroturfing by DCI Group, a Washington PR firm with ties to ExxonMobil.[54][55]

In January 2007, the company appeared to change its position, when vice president for public affairs Kenneth Cohen said "we know enough now—or, society knows enough now—that the risk is serious and action should be taken." Cohen stated that, as of 2006, ExxonMobil had ceased funding of the Competitive Enterprise Institute and "'five or six' similar groups".[56] While the company did not publicly state which the other similar groups were, a May 2007 report by Greenpeace does list the five groups it stopped funding as well as a list of 41 other climate skeptic groups which are still receiving ExxonMobil funds.[57]

On February 13, 2007, ExxonMobil CEO Rex W. Tillerson acknowledged that the planet was warming while carbon dioxide levels were increasing, but in the same speech gave an unqualified defense of the oil industry and predicted that hydrocarbons would dominate the world’s transportation as energy demand grows by an expected 40 percent by 2030. Tillerson stated that there is no significant alternative to oil in coming decades, and that ExxonMobil would continue to make petroleum and natural gas its primary products,[58] saying: "I'm no expert on biofuels. I don't know much about farming and I don't know much about moonshine. ... There is really nothing ExxonMobil can bring to that whole biofuels issue. We don't see a direct role for ourselves with today's technology."[59] However, recently Exxonmobil has announced that it will plan on spending up to 600 million dollars within the next 10 years to fund biofuels that come from algae. On July 14th 2010 Exxonmobil announced that after a year that they are on track for producing biofuels from algae to replace petroleum based oil. (see algae fuel) http://www.exxonmobilperspectives.com/2010/07/14/the-next-phase-of-algae-biofuels/

A survey carried out by the UK's Royal Society found that in 2005 ExxonMobil distributed $2.9m to 39 groups that the society said "misrepresented the science of climate change by outright denial of the evidence".[60]

On July 1, 2009, the Guardian newspaper revealed that ExxonMobil has continued to fund organizations including the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) along with the Heritage Foundation, despite a public pledge to cut support of lobby groups who deny climate change.[61]

Criticism

Environment

In 2003, Greenpeace listed Exxon as #1 Climate Criminal. Exxon's alleged crimes include the sabotage of efforts to deal with climate change[62] [63] , the fraudulent manipulation of peer reviewed scientific studies and organizations, misleading and outright lying to the population of the USA, its government officials and the global community in general.[64] (see also the above section on Funding of global warming skeptics)

In addition, the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, was a watershed moment for environmental critics of the oil industry. The ensuing detrimental effects on the ecology and fisheries of Prince William Sound has stained the image of Exxon (Now ExxonMobil).

Foreign business practices

Investigative reporting by Forbes Magazine raised questions about ExxonMobil's dealings with the leaders of oil-rich nations. ExxonMobil controls concessions covering 11 million acres (44,500 km²) off the coast of Angola that hold an estimated 7.5 billion barrels (1.2 km³) of crude.[65]

In 2003, the Office of Foreign Assets Control reported that ExxonMobil engaged in illegal trade with Sudan and it, along with dozens of other companies, settled with the United States government for $50,000.[66]

In March 2003, James Giffen of the Mercator Corporation was indicted, accused of bribing President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan with $78 million to help ExxonMobil win a 25 percent share of the Tengiz oilfield, the third largest in the world. On April 2, 2003, former-Mobil executive J. Bryan Williams was indicted on tax charges relating to this same transaction. The case is the largest under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.[67] This series of events is depicted in the film Syriana.

In a U.S. Department of Justice release dated September 18, 2003, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced that J. Bryan Williams, a former senior executive of Mobil Oil Corporation, had been sentenced to three years and ten months in prison on charges of evading income taxes on more than $7 million in unreported income, "including a $2 million kickback he received in connection with Mobil's oil business in Kazakhstan." According to documents filed with the court, Williams' unreported income included millions of dollars in kickbacks from governments, persons, and other entities with whom Williams conducted business while employed by Mobil. In addition to his sentence, Williams must pay a fine of $25,000 and more than $3.5 million in restitution to the IRS, in addition to penalties and interest.[68]

Human rights

Main article: ExxonMobil violations in Indonesia

ExxonMobil is the target of human rights activists for actions taken by the corporation in the Indonesian territory of Aceh. In June 2001 a lawsuit against ExxonMobil was filed in the Federal District Court of the District of Columbia under the Alien Tort Claims Act. The suit alleges that the ExxonMobil knowingly assisted human rights violations, including torture, murder and rape, by employing and providing material support to Indonesian military forces, who committed the alleged offenses during civil unrest in Aceh. Human rights complaints involving Exxon's (Exxon and Mobil had not yet merged) relationship with the Indonesian military first arose in 1992; the company denies these accusations and filed a motion to dismiss the suit, which was denied in 2008 by a federal judge[69], but then dismissed in August 2009 by a different federal judge.[70] The dismissal is currently under appeal.

LGBT

When Exxon Corporation merged with Mobil Corporation in 1999, the newly merged company ended enrollment in Mobil Corporation's domestic partner benefits for same-sex partners of employees, and it rescinded formal prohibitions against discrimination based on sexual orientation by removing it from the company's Equal Employment Opportunity policy.[71] In 2010 the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT lobbying group and political action committee, gave Exxon Mobil a score of "0" in its Corporate Equality Index, a scorecard that rated 590 companies on several criteria including diversity training that covers gender identity issues, transgender-inclusive medical coverage including surgical procedures, and "positively engaging the external LGBT community." [72] On May 26, 2010 ExxonMobil shareholders voted down LGBT benefits for its employees - only 22% of shareholders voted yes for the issue.[73]

Headquarters

ExxonMobil's headquarters are located in Irving, Texas.[74] As of January 2010, the company is conducting an internal study regarding possible consolidation of facilities to the northern Houston suburb of Spring, at the intersection of Interstate 45 and the Hardy Toll Road. Architectural documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle outline an elaborate corporate campus, including twenty office buildings totaling three million square-feet, a wellness center, laboratory, and multiple parking garages.[75] Alan Jeffers, a spokesperson for the company, did not say whether the consolidation study includes the Irving headquarters, but definitely includes the Fairfax headquarters. Chris Wallace, the chief executive of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, said that he believed that it does include the headquarters.[76]

See also

Dallas-Fort Worth portal
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References

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e "Income Statement". Yahoo. http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=XOM&annual. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  2. ^ "Form 10-K". SEC. http://idea.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/000119312508041781/d10k.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
  3. ^ "ExxonMobil, Our History". ExxonMobil Corporation. http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/history/about_who_history.aspx. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
  4. ^ Exxon Mobil Corporation Announces 2007 Reserves Replacement
  5. ^ "Exxon Mobil - Refining and supply". Exxon Mobil Corporation. http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/about_what_refining.aspx. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  6. ^ "Exxon Mobil - Company profile". Exxon Mobil Corporation. http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/about_who_profile.aspx. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  7. ^ "Exxon Mobil - Our history". Exxon Mobil Corporation. http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/history/about_who_history.aspx. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  8. ^ "FT's profile of ExxonMobil". Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b2f7b36-cda0-11db-839d-000b5df10621,dwp_uuid=0bda728c-ccd0-11db-a938-000b5df10621.html. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  9. ^ "The new Seven Sisters: oil and gas giants dwarf western rivals". Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/471ae1b8-d001-11db-94cb-000b5df10621,dwp_uuid=0bda728c-ccd0-11db-a938-000b5df10621.html. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  10. ^ "Will We Rid Ourselves of This Pollution?". http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0416/033.html. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  11. ^ EIA - Statement of Jay Hakes
  12. ^ Romero, Simon; Andrews, Edmund L. (2006-01-31). "At Exxon Mobil, a Record Profit but No Fanfare". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/31/business/31exxon.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  13. ^ "Exxon profits surge to new record". BBC News. 2006-01-30. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4662474.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ "ExxonMobil and XTO complete merger". Upstream Online (NHST Media Group). 2010-06-25. http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article218921.ece. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  16. ^ "Exxon Mobil Corporation Board of Directors". Exxon Mobil Corporation. http://www.exxonmobil.com/corporate/investor_governance_directors.aspx.
  17. ^ global oil market
  18. ^ Associated Press (April 3, 2006). "Exxon dethrones Wal-Mart atop Fortune 500". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12131795/. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  19. ^ Associated Press (April 16, 2007). "Wal-Mart returns to top of the Fortune 500 list". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18140057/. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  20. ^ Huliq.com ExxonMobil 2007 results.
  21. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080731/ap_on_bi_ge/earns_oil_glance Top corporate quarterly earnings of all time
  22. ^ http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/31/top-corporate-quarterly-earnings-of-all-time/ Top corporate quarterly earnings of all time
  23. ^ [2] ExxonMobil 5 year financial overview
  24. ^ 2007 ExxonMobil Annual Report Appendix on Charitable Giving (Environmental) [top of page 2]
  25. ^ Big US Pension Fund Joins Critics Of ExxonMobil Climate Stance
  26. ^ (PERI) THE TOXIC 100: Top Corporate Air Polluters in the United State
  27. ^ Familiar Back and Forth With Oil Executives - washingtonpost.com
  28. ^ ERES: ExxonMobil Shareholders Relying on Fumes
  29. ^ a b c "Frequently asked questions about the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill". State of Alaska's Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee. http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/History/FAQ.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
  30. ^ CSR case studies in crisis management - Exxon Mobil and Exxon Valdez
  31. ^ The Baltimore Sun. "Even Renamed, Exxon Valdez can't Outlive Stain on its Past." October 15, 2002.[3]
  32. ^ "Exxon seeks Supreme Court review of oil-spill fine". Seattle Times. August 2007. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003848272_webexxon22.html. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  33. ^ Exxon still uses one-hull tankers 20 years after Valdez | Energy | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
  34. ^ "Cuomo sues ExxonMobil over catastrophik Greenpoint oil spil". 2007-07-07. http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2007/jul/jul17a_07.html. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
  35. ^ "Newton Creek/Greenpoint oil spill study, Brookly, New York" (PDF). 2007-09-12. pp. 4. http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/npl/newtowncreek/newtowncreek_review.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
  36. ^ Greenpoint Petroleum Remediation Project - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
  37. ^ "Newton Creek/Greenpoint oil spill study, Brookly, New York" (PDF). 2007-09-12. pp. 23. http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/npl/newtowncreek/newtowncreek_review.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
  38. ^ http://www.secinfo.com/d14D5a.118Sq.9.htm
  39. ^ http://www.sakhalin1.com/en/
  40. ^ http://www.iucn.org/wgwap/
  41. ^ http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2009/2009-04-24-02.asp /
  42. ^ "Gray whales granted rare reprieve". BBC News. 2009-04-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8017291.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  43. ^ See Section 17 at http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/wgwap_5_report_final_040209.pdf
  44. ^ See Section 18, pg 35, at http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/wgwap_5_report_final_040209.pdf
  45. ^ "Scientists' Report Documents ExxonMobil’s Tobacco-like Disinformation Campaign on Global Warming Science". Union of Concerned Scientists. http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/ExxonMobil-GlobalWarming-tobacco.html. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  46. ^ "Royal Society and ExxonMobil". The Royal Society. http://royalsociety.org/document.asp?tip=1&id=5851. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  47. ^ "Some Like It Hot". Mother Jones. May 2005. http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/05/some_like_it_hot.html. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  48. ^ Adam, David (2006-09-20). "Royal Society Letter to Exxon". London: The Guardian. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1876538,00.html. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
  49. ^ Barnett, Antony (2004-11-28). "Claims by think-tank outrage eco-groups". London: The Guardian. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1361276,00.html. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
  50. ^ "Royal Society tells Exxon: stop funding climate change denial" (PDF). London: The Royal Society. September 4, 2006. http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2006/09/19/LettertoNick.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
  51. ^ a b Union of Concerned Scientists (January 3, 2006). "Scientists' Report Documents ExxonMobil’s Tobacco like Disinformation Campaign on Global Warming Science". Press release. http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/ExxonMobil-GlobalWarming-tobacco.html. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  52. ^ ExxonMobil. "Global Climate Science Communications." April 3, 1998.[4] See also Environmental Defense commentary "Guess who's funding the global warming doubt shops?"[5] and Cooperative Research history commons chronology of Exxon's PR efforts [6]
  53. ^ Stanford GCEP project homepage retrieved 10 April 2008
  54. ^ Antonio Regalado and Dionne Searcey (August 3, 2006). "Where did that video spoofing Gore's film come from?". http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06215/710851-115.stm.
  55. ^ Chris Ayres (August 5, 2006). "Slick lobbying is behind penguin spoof of Al Gore". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article700813.ece.
  56. ^ "Exxon cuts ties to global warming skeptics". MSNBC. January 12, 2007. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16593606/. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  57. ^ http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/assets/binaries/exxon-secrets-analysis-of-fun.pdf
  58. ^ Krauss, Clifford; Mouawad, Jad (February 14, 2007). "Exxon Chief Cautions Against Rapid Action to Cut Carbon Emissions". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/business/14exxon.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  59. ^ "Exxon Mobil CEO: climate policy would be prudent". Reuters. February 13, 2007. http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&symbol=&storyID=2007-02-13T193841Z_01_N13179119_RTRIDST_0_ENERGY-CERA-EXXON-UPDATE-2.XML&pageNumber=1&WTModLoc=InvArt-C1-ArticlePage1&sz=13.
  60. ^ Adam, David (2008-05-28). "Exxon to cut funding to climate change denial groups". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/28/climatechange.fossilfuels/. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  61. ^ Adam, David (July 1, 2009). "ExxonMobil continuing to fund climate sceptic groups, records show". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/01/exxon-mobil-climate-change-sceptics-funding. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  62. ^ Adam, David (2008-05-28). "Exxon to cut funding to climate change denial groups". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/28/climatechange.fossilfuels/. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  63. ^ Adam, David (July 1, 2009). "ExxonMobil continuing to fund climate sceptic groups, records show". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/01/exxon-mobil-climate-change-sceptics-funding. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  64. ^ "Exxon still aids climate sceptics". The Australian. July 20, 2010. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/exxon-still-aids-climate-sceptics/story-e6frg6so-1225894256861. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  65. ^ ExxonMobil. Press release.[7]
  66. ^ CNN. "Wal-Mart, NY Yankees, others settle charges of illegal trading." April 14, 2003.[8]
  67. ^ Foley & Lardner, LLP. "SEC and DOJ Enforcement Actions and Opinions." May 30, 2003.[9]
  68. ^ Williams, J. Bryansentencing
  69. ^ Exxon Mobil Must Face Lawsuit by Indonesian Villagers
  70. ^ Judge Dismisses Indonesians' Lawsuit Against Exxon
  71. ^ "Human Rights Campaign - Equality at Exxon Mobil Corporation". http://www.equalityatexxon.org. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
  72. ^ " Corporate Equality Index". Washington, D.C.: Human Rights Campaign. pp. 3, 27. http://www.hrc.org/documents/HRC_Corporate_Equality_Index_2010.pdf. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  73. ^ http://www.dallasvoice.com/instant-tea/2010/05/26/exxonmobil-shareholders-vote-down-lgbt-protections/
  74. ^ "Business Headquarters." ExxonMobil. Retrieved on May 23, 2010.
  75. ^ http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/energy/6841225.html
  76. ^ Souder, Elizabeth and Brandon Formby. "Irving officials ready to woo Exxon to stay put - if they need to." The Dallas Morning News. Saturday January 30, 2010. Retrieved on February 18, 2010.

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Why does ExxonMobil donate so much money to the denier movement?
Q. Even after claiming to have ended denier funding, it appears exxon is still doing it: Why is the strategy of exxon so much different from all the other oil companies who do not (or no longer) fund this movement? though i may think it is wrong, no where in this question did i say it was wrong. Maybe i'll ask this again in the business and economics section. Why are other oil companies not as threatened by global warming as Exxon? nm, here is the reason: I already knew they were less prepared for gobal warming than other oil companies, but i didn't realize that exxon does not invest in alternative energy at all. Which seems pretty stupid, considering we may have already hit "peak oil". They better start using some of those windfall… [cont.]
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