Image source, Reuters

We're now closing our live coverage - thanks for staying with us!

Just to recap - here are some key points:

• America's top oil executives testified in Congress amid accusations their companies misled the public about climate change
• ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron and Shell all deny approving any climate disinformation campaigns
• During fiery exchanges, Democrats have said energy firms are not moving quickly enough to wean the US economy off fossil fuels
• Republicans, meanwhile, have focused their comments on Democrats, accusing them of trying to sabotage the US energy sector
• The top Democrat ended the session by calling for the investigation to continue and announcing that all the executives will be issued formal demands to hand over crucial documents
• The top Republican objected to the move, saying the executives had already provided hundreds of thousands of documents, and the demand would violate their free-speech rights
• The hearing came as world leaders prepare for the UN's COP26 climate summit in Glasgow

Our live coverage was brought to you by BBC teams in Washington DC and London: Deirdre Finnerty, Vicky Baker, Max Matza, Yaroslav Lukov, Kelly-Leigh Cooper, Sam Cabral and Jack Hunter.

Chairwoman Maloney concludes her remarks by saying subpoenas - forcing the companies to turn over internal documents - will be issued against them.

Six weeks ago, the committee requested documents from the energy companies testifying today, says Maloney.

But instead of submitting the documents, the companies "produced reams of other documents, many of which are publicly available". One company, she says, sent 1,500 pages of documents from their own website.

"Nearly all the companies failed to turn over board materials the committee needs to determine corporate strategies on climate change," she says.

But so far they have "not produced any internal documents or internal communications" from the highest ranking executives.

Instead, the companies employed their familiar tactic of "delay and obstruction," she says, adding: "Well, that ends today."

"I intend to issues subpoenas to the fossil fuel industry representatives here today," says Maloney.

"I do not take this step lightly, she says, adding that her action is to "rescue this planet and save it for our children".

The panel's top Democrat Carolyn Maloney is giving her closing remarks now.

She says the meeting was productive, because the world's top oil executives now "finally admit that climate change is real, that burning fossil fuels is causing it, and that we must act urgently to fix it".

"But I was disappointed that we also heard much of the denial and deflection that we've heard before," she continues.

"Today's witnesses refused to take responsibility for a decades long misinformation campaign."

She goes on to attack the companies for not backing electric vehicles, and for continuing to work with the American Petroleum Institute lobbying firm.

"So I see no choice but to continue our committee's investigation until we see the truth," she adds.

As the committee hearing closes, Kentucky's James Cormer - the top Republican on the panel - reminds Americans that "Republicans care about climate too".

"We care about the climate. But we also wanna work with the private sector to reduce emissions and continue to create good paying jobs," he says.

Comer also says the most predictable thing about the hearing was seeing Democrats attacking energy firms for making a profit.

Image source, Pool

Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar begins by making a claim we've heard several times today - that energy companies paid front companies to push for policies friendly to fossil fuels.

She continues by reading from an ExxonMobil "action plan" from the early 1990s, which says that "victory will be achieved", when the public is confused about the causes of climate change.

She says the goal of this project was to "inject doubt and uncertainty into the climate debate".

"The fossil fuel industry worked collectively to prevent action on climate change. They co-ordinated their campaigns with outside groups," says Omar, accusing lobbying organisations of participating in a conspiracy.

She adds that in 2020, energy companies donated $139m to lawmakers. She notes that around 85% were Republicans, "and mostly climate deniers", and calls for energy companies to keep their money out of politics.

"It seems you all have achieved that victory of leading the public with disinformation," she says, sarcastically congratulating them.

"I hope you are ashamed of the future you have contributed for your children and ours, and I ask you all to resign," she ends.

Image source, Getty Images

The Green New Deal keeps coming up today.

First introduced in 2019, the bill is modelled after the vast investment projects of the New Deal that helped lift America out of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

It has the backing of a number of notable progressive Democrats, but has not attracted mainstream support within the party. Republicans are uniformly opposed to it.

The New Green Deal proposes a number of radical steps, most notably the 10-year decarbonisation of the US economy.

lt calls for all existing and new buildings to be upgraded to achieve maximum energy efficiency, and for transportation methods and infrastructure to be overhauled.

However, it goes well beyond questions of climate change, also calling for employment protections for family and medical leave, and more.

Many observers believe that the programme is high on ambition but is not a practical plan to tackle climate change.

Missouri Democrat Cori Bush accuses the companies of racism, asking whether their facilities are primarily built in black communities.

"I wouldn't know how to answer that," begins Shell Oil Company CEO Gretchen Watkins.

"They are," interrupts Bush.

She goes on to ask how many energy executive are black. One CEO says he assumes that few are, which Bush agrees with.

She also accuses Shell of writing a report saying that "low-lying areas such as Bangladesh may need to be abandoned" due to climate change, and ends her remarks by calling on the witnesses to all resign in disgrace.

Neal Crabtree, a welder who was put out of work after his pipeline project was cancelled by President Biden, is asked to characterise the Democrats' position on energy production.

Crabtree was invited by Republicans as a witness.

"I'm gonna support whichever party puts me to work," says Crabtree, adding: "This president has put me out of work."

The witness goes on to say that he wishes Donald Trump was still president.

The Republican ranking committee member, Kentucky Congressman James Cormer, says he completely agrees.

Massachusetts Democrat Ayanna Pressley - a member of the so-called "Squad" of young female representatives - is now asking questions.

She says the energy companies, if left unchecked, "will sink entire communities" in the Boston area that she represents.

"My constituents are living in regions that would be completely underwater", if zero-emissions plans are not enacted, she says.

She then asks each CEO what percentage of their funds are being used to retrain their employees for green projects.

When each CEO begin to answer, without providing the actual percentages, Pressley cuts them off.

Image source, Pool

The divide between Democrats and Republicans continues to show, as Representative Jake LaTurner - from Kansas - takes the floor to defend the American oil sector.

He says the concern of the committee hearing today constitutes "climate misinformation" on the part of Democrats.

He speaks of an "energy crisis" and accuses the Biden administration of undermining the country's "energy independence" with its policies.

"Dependence on Russia and China to fuel our country's baseload and power our electric grid is a national security threat and does nothing to mitigate carbon emissions globally," he says, describing the oil and gas produced in America as "among the cleanest and safest in the world".

He says "the data proves the private sector is tackling climate change" and urges congress to allow them to do so without "burdensome federal regulation".

Florida Democrat Debbie Wasserman Shultz starts her questioning by referring to her state as "ground zero" for climate change.

"It's not a someday thing, it's a right now thing," she says.

She goes on to grill the CEOs and lobbyists about how much they have spent to defeat President Biden's proposed Build Back Better Act.

When the CEOs say they don't have the information on hand, she accuses them of being bad at their jobs.

The proposed legislation is currently weighing whether to include a penalty for energy producers that leak methane into the atmosphere.

"You're either lying about your support for reducing methane emissions or you are working against yourself, which makes no sense," Wasserman Shultz adds.

When oil lobbyist Mike Sommers tries to correct her, she interrupts him, saying "the time is mine".

Democrats are continuing to rail against energy companies for not moving quickly enough to wean the US economy off fossil fuels.

Republicans, meanwhile, are focusing their comments on Democrats - who they say are trying to sabotage the American energy sector.

Arizona Republican Andy Biggs, who asked no questions during his allotted five minutes, told the CEOs: "You've been brought here so they can beat the crap out of you.

"And they've done it for political reasons. That's the shame of it all."

He goes on to say the Democrats "would regulate you right out of business if they could."

"That's the purpose of this hearing today," he adds. "To lay the foundation to get rid of you."

Image source, Pool

American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers is asked about the energy crisis affecting Europe right now.

He calls what's happening there a "flashing warning sign" for the US and other countries.

Sommers calls the issue "mainly a consequence of a lack of supply."

"They are going to continue to need more energy as their economy grows," he says of European countries.

Sommers goes on to blame the lack of supply on Russia, for deciding not export its own fossil fuels.

He calls the situation "a warning for the world that if you don't create your own supply at home, you are dependent on supplies from regimes that don't necessarily have your interests at heart."

It comes after a Republican on the panel of accused Democrats of seeking to sabotage American energy independence, and instead rely on oil from "Venezuela and Iran".

Florida Republican Andrew Clyde ended his question with a warning that Russia is "willing to use energy as a weapon".

Image source, Pool

Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - known in the US by her initials AOC - is now speaking. She is a key backer of the so-called Green New Deal to overhaul how Americans consume energy.

She begins by taking issue with a recent statement made by American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers in a news interview, in which he said they are "making every effort" to lobby for oil production.

AOC says $56m has been spent by the group just this year on their lobbying efforts.

Sommers takes issue with her characterisation of his remarks, saying the group advocates for American energy workers.

She then turns to ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, taking issue with his involvement in congressional infrastructure negotiations.

She says that Americans are now forced to "live with the future that you all are setting on fire for us".

Image source, Pool

California Democrat Katie Porter starts by showing Shell's 2020 annual spending report, which she represents with a jar of candy.

The report shows that Shell plans to spend between $19-22bn in the near term.

Each M&M candy, she says, represents $50m.

Porter's point is that Shell plans to spend about six times more on future fossil fuel production, rather than green energy.

Gretchen Watkins, the Shell CEO, is asked to confirm the company's future spending plans.

Watkins responds: "What I can tell you is that there needs to be both a demand and a supply of clean energy."

She says Shell is "working closely with customers to increase that demand over time."

Later, Porter uses sacks of rice, seen on the video feed in the boot of her car, to illustrate the acres of land held by energy companies.

Chris Morris
BBC Reality Check

There have been some uncomfortable moments for the oil executives during this hearing, but what has been most notable – and unsurprising – has been the extent of the political divide.

Democrats have been criticising the fossil fuel industry for misleading the American public, and asking for pledges which the executives have been unwilling to make.

Republicans have been defending the industry, and asking why the United States should be acting to limit the use of fossil fuels when some other countries are increasing it.

There have been flashes of real anger on both sides. But it feels like another political skirmish in what will be a long battle about the pace of the energy transition in the United States.

Image source, Getty Images

"It's insane what my colleagues across the aisle are putting these good American men and women through," says Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins.

He accuses the Democrat-led committee of "attacking American workers as our country dissolves around us."

"Do you pledge to endeavour to continue leading the world in emissions reductions and providing abundant affordable energy through innovations?" he asks the CEOs.

Each CEO answers that they will, with many adding that they are already working on green energy solutions.

Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, says "I'm even going to bother to ask" about the shell groups that the energy companies work with to lobby for their products.

She says that the adverts for oil companies seen on Facebook don't bear the names of Chevron, BP, etc. The adverts are "lies plain and simple", she says accusing the company of making millions last year "poisoning the planet".

"Congresswoman, I am not exactly following," says CEO Michael Wirth. Tlaib tells him to submit his response for the record in writing later after he says "you've been provided with some inaccurate information".

Tlaib goes on to say the company owes over $50bn in 31 countries for environmental damage.

"There are more of us than there are of you," says Tlaib. "You can poison the planet to make money. But we will defend the planet so we can live."

Much of the information Congress is relying on to make these allegations is already in the public domain.

For years, researchers and lawyers have been sifting through the now publicly available internal memos of oil companies to build a picture of who knew what about climate change and when. They say the picture that emerges is clear.

As far back as 1981, Exxon employees were making projections for how warm the earth would become if we continued to burn fossil fuels.

Yet instead of making this research public, the "Exxon Position" was to "emphasize the uncertainty in scientific conclusions" regarding climate change, according to a 1988 internal memo.

Researchers say oil companies spread doubt about climate change by creating think tanks or groups that appeared to be made up of independent scientists, but were really designed and funded by oil.

One such group in 1991 planned to "Reposition global warming as theory (not fact)".

When the hearing is finished, you can read Phoebe Keane's deep-dive on "How the oil industry made us doubt climate change" and listen to the podcast series

Democrat John Sarbanes turns to the Chevron CEO Michael Wirth, saying that he "touted" his support for the Paris climate agreement in his opening statement.

But, he adds, "we know what it looks like when you company really cares about a federal initiative and wants it to succeed".

Sarbanes says that lobbying financial disclosures show that Chevron spent zero dollars on lobbying in favour of the climate agreement.

The company, he says, filed 144 disclosure forms showing lobbying for corporate tax breaks.

"Chevron has spent more 54m on lobbying on a lot of other things since 2015," says Sarbanes.

"So clearly when your company cares about an issue you lobby on it."

Asked about the financial disclosures, Mr Wirth says he is not familiar with the exact numbers.

The CEO's have so far barely been able to get in any answers, as many Democrats focus on getting out as many questions as possible during their five minutes of questioning.

Republicans have used much of their time to slam the Democrats for their efforts to boost the green energy sector, at the expense of the fossil fuel industry.