Which oil company is the greenest?

Answer 1

Please note that since the study below was performed, both BP and Suncor (Sunoco's Canadian branch) are involved in the extraction of Bitumen in the tar sands of the Canadian Boreal Forest. This is by far one of the dirtiest methods of oil extraction.

The Sierra Club ranked eight of the largest oil companies for their social and environmental practices. Not surprisingly, not one had a spotless record. However the non-for-profit undauntedly categorized the companies into three groups which we'll call The Better, The Bad, and The Worst.

The Better
BP
Sunoco

The Bad
Royal Dutch Shell
Chevron
Valero Energy Corporation
Citgo

The Worst
ExxonMobil
ConocoPhillips

Although the study criticized BP and Sunoco (Sunoco, Ultra Service, APlus) for recent oil spills in Alaska and Pennsylvania, it praised both oil companies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their operations and supporting environmental groups. BP has also committed $8 billion to alternative energy research.

Alternatively, ExxonMobile has denied man-made climate change and lobbied against the Kyoto Protocol. It is also seeking to drill in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Like its partner in the bottom group, ConocoPhillips (76, Conoco, Phillips 66) opposes manadatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions. It has also been cited for more than 470 violations by the EPA.