Washington (December 10, 2016) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and chair of the Senate Climate Clearinghouse, released the following statement after media reported ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson may be nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be Secretary of State.
“Nominating Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State would be handing over the keys to U.S. foreign policy to Big Oil. Donald Trump would be sending a strong signal to OPEC and the entire global fossil fuel industry that oil will be America’s primary foreign policy priority. We cannot allow oil to replace diplomacy as the currency of the State Department.
“This nomination is clear confirmation that a Trump administration will doggedly pursue an “oil above all” energy agenda, at the expense of clean energy and climate solutions. Big Oil’s interests are not America’s interests, and questions will need to be answered about possible conflicts of interest that this nomination could raise. Rex Tillerson’s nomination would add yet another big business voice to a cabinet that Donald Trump has insisted would look out for the little guy. The Trump administration should expect a major battle if Rex Tillerson is nominated.”
