LSU partners with oil giants and lets them influence research, finds report

Federally funded Louisiana State University (LSU) established partnerships with oil giants, including Shell and Exxon Mobil, allowing them significant influence on research and coursework in exchange for donations, according to emails seen by the Lens after filing a public record request.

Analysis of the emails found that in 2022, Shell donated $25 million to create the Institute of Energy Innovation, giving the energy giant the ability to shape research and coursework related to carbon capture. The donation also earned Shell a seat on the institute’s advisory board.

LSU later used this partnership as a blueprint to find other members of the Louisiana Chemical Association (an industry group) who have proposed carbon capture projects in Louisiana. Other oil and gas companies, like ExxonMobil, followed suit, contributing millions for similar privileges.

Not just LSU
Similar partnerships exist between fossil fuel companies and academia.

ExxonMobil and Shell funded similar energy initiatives and research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), according to Inside Climate News. 

Highest-level donors can even have an office on MIT’s campus.

Why is it problematic?
Critics argue that such partnerships compromise academic freedom and public trust. Experts also believe that these relationships could compromise research integrity.

They aren’t wrong.
Fossil fuel companies like Exxon have denied the risk of human-caused climate change for decades, notes LSU alumna and energy researcher Jane Patton of the Center for International Environmental Law.

LSU defends the partnerships, citing industry collaboration as vital for advancing energy innovation.

Meanwhile, students and activists at the university have called for divestment from fossil fuel companies.

Investment from oil and gas firms makes up 2% to 3% of LSU’s donations. It receives 40% of its funding from the state.