Alaska Senator Kim Elton has a searing response for Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, who told Wall Street this week that doing business with Alaska was problematic because the state changed tax policies on the company. Tillerson said "The State of Alaska does not have a good track record on fiscal stability. Not trying to single them out or be critical, but they’ve changed fiscal terms on us 13 times over the last couple of decades."
Elton says TIllerson is a liar. " I’m a bit fried that the Exxon honcho who reportedly made about $13,700 an hour last year can so blithely spout such nonsense to Wall Street analysts. If the Exxon board is going to pay someone that much they should at least demand he tell the truth." He goes on to explain the proportion of Exxon’s crimes against Alaska.
Then Elton concludes:
Given this history, I guess we can conclude the least egregious behavior by Exxon over the past several decades of operating in Alaska is the blatant disregard for the truth Mr. Tillerson demonstrated this week. Not being truthful, I guess, isn’t the worst of their offenses: they don’t pay our fishermen for their bad; they don’t pay us fairly for our royalty oil until compelled by courts; they are charged with overcharging us and others for shipping oil through TAPS; they sit on our resources at Pt. Thompson, and their definition of profit sharing with the owners of the resource is akin to the definition espoused by robber barons…
Note to self: The oil industry is not our friend. They can be our partner if we are vigilant, but they are not our friends.