New York Mayor Wants to Bring on `Death Knell’ of Oil Industry

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose city sued five energy companies this month, including Exxon Mobil, BP and Shell claiming damage to the city from climate change, told Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders: “Let’s help bring the death knell to this industry that’s done so much harm.”

De Blasio appeared on “The Bernie Sanders Show” podcast Thursday, comparing oil companies to the tobacco industry and claiming they “systematically poisoned the Earth, knew about it, covered it up, explained it away, tried to hook people more and more on their product,” according to a transcript posted on the mayor’s website.

“We think that what every city can do and every locality — use your litigation power to go at these bad actors and get the resources back,” de Blasio told Sanders. “We’re looking for billions to make up for what they’ve done to us.”

In addition to seeking damages from the industry, New York is winding down its $5 billion in New York City pension funds that are invested with oil and gas producers, de Blasio said.