Gov. Doyle: Statement on Exxon Mobil Topping Fortune 500 List

Contact: Anne Lupardus, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162

Oil Company’s Revenue and Profit Are Biggest Ever for a U.S. Company

Governor Jim Doyle made the following statement in reaction to today’s news of Exxon Mobil reaching the number one position on the Fortune 500 list of the nation’s most profitable corporations.

“This news is hardly surprising. Exxon Mobil and other big oil companies have made a habit of taking advantage of an energy crisis by reaping enormous profits at the expense of hardworking families in Wisconsin, and all across the nation. Since Hurricane Katrina, Wisconsin consumers alone have overpaid the oil companies hundreds of millions of dollars. Middle class families are being squeezed by skyrocketing prices at the pump and on their heating bills while oil companies like Exxon are recording record profits.

“Middle class families across Wisconsin should not be required to subsidize oil companies’ historic profits. I hope that this news will finally convince the U.S. Congress to take action and force the oil companies to give consumers a much-needed and well-deserved refund.

“Even if Congress refuses to act, in Wisconsin, we will continue to do everything we can to help working families afford to live where they love – right here in Wisconsin – by making home heating, education, and health insurance more affordable.”