Total will not renew its membership in the American Petroleum Institute (API) for 2021 due to differences with the main US oil lobby on climate policy, the French oil and gas supermajor said on Friday.
For 2019 and 2020, Total has found API positions “partially aligned” with its own, but some divergences remain. These include API’s support for downgrading US methane emissions regulations, which Total opposed in November 2019, and API’s membership in the Fairness Alliance, which opposes electric vehicle subsidies. API also has different positions than Total in terms of carbon prices.
“Moreover, the API gave its support during the recent elections to the candidates who fought against the participation of the United States in the Paris Agreement,” Total said in a statement.
“As part of our climate ambition made public in May 2020, we are committed to ensuring, in a transparent manner, that the industry associations of which we are members adopt positions and messages that are aligned with those of the group in the fight against change. climate, ”said Total President and CEO Patrick Pouyanné.
Total is betting on the profitable growth of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) business and renewable energy sources, as part of its new strategy and net-zero agenda.
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Pouyanné told the French newspaper Le Parisien in September that the company aims to be among the top five renewable energy producers in the world. The company’s operational mix today is 55% oil, 40% gas and less than 5% electricity from renewable sources, Pouyanné said, noting that in 2050, Total’s operations will be divided into 20% oil, 40% gas and 40% renewable energy. .
Total is not the only oil supermajor in Europe to give up major US lobbies due to differences in climate policies.
Last year, BP dropped three US energy trade associations, the main refining lobby group, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), the Western Energy Alliance (WEA) and the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), after found in a – in-depth review of the fact that these three associations do not have climate policies aligned with BP objectives and support for the Paris agreement. A year earlier, Shell had given up its refining lobby due to “material misalignment” in climate-related positions.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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