8/12/2019 Allstadt to Tillerson

1/3

Open Letter to Rex TillersonChairman, ExxonMobil

Dear Rex,

We have never met, but I worked for your company for six months immediately afterthe ExxonMobil merger, the implementation of which I coordinated from the Mobilside. That was after thirty years with Mobil Oil Corporation, where just prior to themerger I had been an Executive Vice President and Operating Officer for Explorationand Producing in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. I now live in upstate New York.For the past five years, I have been actively trying to keep your company and the restof the industry from fracking here. I understand from several press articles that youhave fracking issues of your own, with a fracking water tower and truck trafficpossibly detracting from your view and the value of your home.

In response to the prospect of fracking ruining our communities, many New York

towns have passed zoning laws that prohibit heavy industry, including any activitiesassociated with drilling for oil and gas. Those laws, along with very little prospect foreconomic gas production in New York, mean that we probably will not have to look atfracking water towers, let alone live next to fracking well pads. I say probably,because your industry is still fighting those zoning laws in the courts.

Ironically, your reasoning at the Bartonville, Texas town council meetings is virtuallyidentical to the reasoning that I and many other citizens used to convince our localtown councils to pass laws that prohibit the very problem you have encountered, plusall of the other infrastructure and waste disposal issues associated with fracking.

No one should have to live near well pads, compression stations, incessant heavytruck traffic, or fracking water towers, nor should they have their water or aircontaminated. You and I love the places where we live, but in the end, if they areruined by fracking or frack water tanks, we can afford to pack up and go someplaceelse. However, many people cant afford to move away when they can no longer drinkthe water or breathe the air because they are too close to one of your well pads orcompressor stations.

My efforts to prevent fracking started over water not the prospect of having to seea water tank from my home, but rather regulations that would allow gas wells nearour sources of drinking water, in addition to well pads next to our homes, schools,hospitals and nursing homes. These issues are legitimate, but they are localized. I amnow much more concerned with the greenhouse gas impacts of fossil fuels in general,and particularly the huge impact of methane emissions from natural gas productionand transportation. These are global problems that local zoning cannot protectagainst. Only a major shift toward renewable energy sources can begin to mitigatetheir catastrophic climate impacts.

8/12/2019 Allstadt to Tillerson

2/3

Before closing, I should explain why I have referred to ExxonMobil as your company. For several years after retiring I thought of Exxon Mobil as my company. I thoughtthat the company s rigor and discipline in investing in sound projects was as good asit gets, and ExxonMobil was my largest single investment. I no longer own any sharesof ExxonMobil or any other fossil fuel company. I would prefer to be an early investor

in alternative energy for the 21st century rather than hanging on to dwindlingprospects for investments in 19th and 20th century fossil fuels.

It is time that ExxonMobil started shifting away from oil and gas, and towardalternatives both for environmental reasons and to protect the long-term viabilityof the company. Many large energy producers and consumers, including ExxonMobil,are building a carbon fee into their long-term planning assumptions. Activelysupporting the phase-in of a carbon fee would be one way to move the company intothe 21st century. Recognizing that methane emissions disqualify natural gas as abridge fuel is another.

Good luck with that fracking water tank. I hope you dont have to move , and also thatyou will help a lot of other people stay in the homes they love.

Regards,

Lou Allstadt

Links to some reports on Mr. Tillersons fight against a fracking water tower near hishome in Texas:

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/02/24/Exxon-boss-involved-in-Texas-zoning-dispute-tied-to-fracking/UPI-61481393241712/?spt=rln&or=1

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579391181466603804

http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/exxon-ceo-involved-in-lawsuit-citing-fracking-concerns.html/

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/02/24/exxon-ceo-fighting-water-tower-near-his-house-out.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/02/22/exxon-mobil-tillerson-ceo-fracking/5726603/

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/02/24/Exxon-boss-involved-in-Texas-zoning-dispute-tied-to-fracking/UPI-61481393241712/?spt=rln&or=1http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/02/24/Exxon-boss-involved-in-Texas-zoning-dispute-tied-to-fracking/UPI-61481393241712/?spt=rln&or=1http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/02/24/Exxon-boss-involved-in-Texas-zoning-dispute-tied-to-fracking/UPI-61481393241712/?spt=rln&or=1http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/02/24/Exxon-boss-involved-in-Texas-zoning-dispute-tied-to-fracking/UPI-61481393241712/?spt=rln&or=1http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579391181466603804http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579391181466603804http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579391181466603804http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/02/24/exxon-ceo-fighting-water-tower-near-his-house-out.htmlhttp://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/02/24/exxon-ceo-fighting-water-tower-near-his-house-out.htmlhttp://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/02/24/exxon-ceo-fighting-water-tower-near-his-house-out.htmlhttp://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/02/24/exxon-ceo-fighting-water-tower-near-his-house-out.htmlhttp://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/02/24/exxon-ceo-fighting-water-tower-near-his-house-out.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579391181466603804http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579391181466603804http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/02/24/Exxon-boss-involved-in-Texas-zoning-dispute-tied-to-fracking/UPI-61481393241712/?spt=rln&or=1http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/02/24/Exxon-boss-involved-in-Texas-zoning-dispute-tied-to-fracking/UPI-61481393241712/?spt=rln&or=1http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/02/24/Exxon-boss-involved-in-Texas-zoning-dispute-tied-to-fracking/UPI-61481393241712/?spt=rln&or=1

8/12/2019 Allstadt to Tillerson

3/3