Editor’s note: This article, originally published on September 16, 2015, was the first installment of a nine-part investigation called Exxon: The Road Not Taken, now more commonly known as #ExxonKnew, that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2016. The article, and the series, was again in the news this week, referenced as part of a Congressional report on the oil industry’s denial, disinformation and doublespeak on climate change. It was released jointly yesterday by the Senate Committee on the Budget and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.