Groups denounce Exxon-Mobil merger

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

For Immediate Release:			Contact: Wenonah Hauter (202) 546-4996, ext. 350
March 10, 1999

Consumers, Environmentalists, Survivors of Exxon-Valdez Spill Form Coalition
to Oppose Exxon-Mobil Merger

Proposed $186 billion Exxon-Mobil Corporation Harmful to Public

DATELINE -- A wide-ranging coalition of public-interest organizations today
urged  Congress to subject the proposed merger of Exxon and Mobil
corporations to rigorous scrutiny in national, regional and local public
hearings to examine the full range of implications for consumers, the
environment and workers.

The groups also urged the Federal Trade Commission, which is reviewing the
proposed merger to see if it violates anti-trust regulations, to block it
because of its detrimental effects on consumers.

AThe corporate combination will lead to anti-competitive behavior at the
expense of consumers, especially in the many areas where Exxon and Mobil
compete directly," the groups said in a joint statement.  AThe merger will
create an oil giant with enormous political power, with the ability to skew
critical policy debates over matters such as labor standards, global
warming, opening of the Arctic and other environmentally sensitive areas to
oil exploration, government support for renewable energy, and tax code
subsidies."

Wenonah Hauter, director of  Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project,
said the merger would be disastrous for consumers. AThis $186 billion
corporation will have the power to crush environmental and consumer concerns
and dominate the political landscape with campaign contributions and
lobbying activities.  The oil and gas industry regularly use their economic
resources to subvert public policy and the marriage of these two huge
corporations will only worsen the situation," she said.

The joint statement called for congressional hearings to explore the
implications for consumers, the environment and workers; for the Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Commerce Committee to
hold regional hearings; for the FTC to block the merger; for the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee and the House International Relations Committee
to hold hearings on alleged human rights abuses associated with Exxon and
Mobil's overseas operations; and for members of Congress to hold hearings in
communities affected by the merger.

"Consumers are weary of watching large corporations gobble each other up
with no consumer benefits," said Mary Rouleau of the Consumer Federation of
America. ACFA is disgusted that this merger is being allowed to fly through
the anti-trust process without regard for the negative effects this could
have on consumers."

Expressing the concerns of many elderly consumers living on fixed incomes,
Timothy Fuller, executive director of Gray Panthers, remarked that "Just
because oil prices are low today does not mean they will not go up
significantly tomorrow.  In fact, in the last three weeks crude oil prices
have surged 17%. The merger could lead to less competition and higher
prices.  The impact on elderly people on fixed incomes could be
significant."

	Gary Kompkoff, a native Alaskan fisherman and a survivor of the infamous
Exxon-Valdez oil spill, called on the FTC to stop the merger.  Calling on
members of Congress to recognize Exxon's Along history of social and
environmental abuses that have left Alaska and her people permanently
scarred," Mr. Kompkoff urged Congress to investigate the merger's possible
effects on people living in the shadow of these two corporations.

	Brent Blackwelder, President of Friends of the Earth, said the merger would
be a catastrophic blow to the environment. AIt creates an enormous corporate
behemoth that would have tremendous leverage to stop needed environmental
treaties such as Kyoto."  Blackwelder said that both Exxon and Mobil have
opposed the Kyoto treaty, signed last year by President Clinton but caught
in the logjam of oil and gas politics in the U.S. Senate.

           Rick Bela, president of the National Hispanic Association on
Corporate Responsibility, said the merger will further concentrate ownership
at corporations with a known history of  corporate irresponsibility.  The
rush to approve the merger overlooked the wide range of abuses that both
Exxon and Mobil have perpetrated against consumers, the environment and
workers," he said.

	Athan Manuel, director of U.S. PIRG's Arctic Wilderness Campaign, urged
Congress to remember the historical relationship between the oil industry
and anti-trust law, commenting that "The original authors of the antitrust
laws sought to avoid excessive concentrations of power.  As a result
Standard Oil was broken up into 34 companies in 1911.  Now, Standard Oil of
New York-Mobil-and Standard Oil of New Jersey-Exxon-are getting back
together. Will the cloning and reinstallation of  John D. Rockefeller as CEO
be far behind?"

National Groups					State/Local Groups

Center for Health and Environmental Justice     Alliance to Close Indian
						Point
Consumer Federation of America 			Citizen's Awareness Network
Ecogynecon, UK 					CLEAR
Earth Island Institute 				Flagstaff Action Network
Essential Action 				Green Delaware
Friends of the Earth 				Mississippi 20/20
Greenpeace 					M.O.S.E.S. 
Gray Panthers 				People's Actions for Clean Energy
Institute for Local Self Reliance 	Seniors for Political Action
National Consumer's League 		South Dakota Resources Council
National Farmer's Union 	Sisters of St. Joseph, Nazareth Michigan
National Hispanic Association 		Survivors of Exxon-Valdez
on Corporate Responsibility Valley CADRE
Ozone Action 						
Project on Government Oversight
Public Citizen
Sierra Club
SUN DAY Campaign
U.S. Public Interest Research Group