Rex Tillerson must recuse himself from Keystone XL!

Walter Shaub, Director of the Office of Government Ethics

As a 40-year employee and the recent CEO of ExxonMobil, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has a conflict of interest in permitting the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

If the Keystone XL pipeline is pushed through, Exxon stands to profit. Tillerson has already proven he cannot be trusted where the fossil fuel industry is concerned, having made a dubious claim at his confirmation hearing that neither he nor Exxon had lobbied against Russian sanctions when there were lobbying reports that seemed to suggest otherwise. [1]

We can expect more of the same with Keystone. Tillerson will act in the industry’s best interest -- not our country’s. It’s up to the Office of Government Ethics to acknowledge this blatant conflict of interest and publicly urge Rex Tillerson recuse himself from the Keystone XL project.

The State Department is expected to approve the pipeline permits by March 27. Tell the Office of Government Ethics Tillerson needs to recuse himself today!

[1] http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/jan/12/rex-tillerson/tillerson-misleads-russian-sanctions-opposition/
Petition by
Greenpeace USA
Greenpeace USA
Washington, District of Columbia

To: Walter Shaub, Director of the Office of Government Ethics
From: [Your Name]

Dear Walter Shaub, Director of the Office of Government Ethics,

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson should recuse himself from the decision to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline.

Tillerson’s employer of the past four decades, ExxonMobil, is heavily invested in high-cost, environmentally destructive tar sands production that would be served by the pipeline. Under Tillerson’s leadership, Exxon worked to hide the truth about climate change and invested in misleading the American public to protect its own profits, resulting in ongoing fraud investigations.

And now ExxonMobil stands to materially benefit if Tillerson approves the construction of Keystone XL. By handing over U.S. foreign policy to an oil industry executive, Trump has created fertile ground for extensive conflicts of interest -- and Tillerson has already been caught making a very questionable claim during his confirmation hearing that Exxon did not lobby against Russian sanctions when lobbying reports suggested otherwise. As the director of the Office of Government Ethics, you must recommend that Tillerson recuse himself to follow the spirit of government ethics laws and his own stated ethics commitments.

Sincerely,

{{First Name}} {{Last Name}}