PARIS (AP) – French oil and gas company Total has said it has decided to withdraw from the American Petroleum Institute because it does not agree on climate-related policies.
Total said in a statement on Friday that it would not renew its membership for 2021 following an analysis of API’s position on climate issues showing ‘certain deviations’.
The company cites in particular API’s “support during the recent election to candidates who argued against US participation” in the 2015 agreement in Paris to curb climate change. Total also pointed to divergent views on the regulation of methane emissions, subsidies for electric vehicles and the carbon price constraint, which are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Total says it is working to deliver cleaner energy and its CEO Patrick Pouyanné said the group wants to ensure that ‘the industry associations of which we are a member take positions and messages that match those of the group in the fight against climate. alter. ”
The API said in a statement on Friday that “we believe the world’s energy and environmental challenges are big enough that many different approaches are needed to address them, and that we benefit from a variety of views.” With over 600 members, API represents all segments of the US oil and natural gas industry
The API added that it “does not support energy subsidy because it distorts the market and ultimately is harmful to consumers.”
Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy at the American Union of Concerned Scientists, says Total’s decision to leave the group is important.
“It’s a very big thing for an oil major to take a position that leaves the largest trade association here in the United States,” he told The Associated Press.
Frumhoff said the move comes days after API President Mike Summers gave a speech in which he said the group would regulate methane emissions, restrictions on drilling in public lands and support for charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. fight.
He added that Total’s decision puts pressure on other oil companies BP and Shell, both of which say they are aiming to fight greenhouse gas emissions, “to put their political power where they are mouthed and do the same.”
Elected President Joe Biden, who has said he wants to focus on combating climate change, has pledged to rejoin the Paris Agreement on the first day of his presidency.
The API stressed that Summers said earlier this week that the association was prepared to “work with the Biden administration on policy solutions” that would allow for further reductions in methane emissions, including through the possibility of further regulation in this space. investigation.
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Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.