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As lawmakers push legislation to protect the nation’s coastal waters, scientists are placing much of the blame for degrading ocean conditions on emissions from large energy companies including Exxon Mobil Corp., which was cleared Tuesday in a long-running climate court case.

A study published Wednesday in the scientific journal Environmental Research Letters found that carbon emissions from the largest energy and cement companies are responsible for more than half of a damaging side effect: increasing acidity in the planet’s oceans, which harms marine life and coastal economies.

The findings will likely join Democrats’ arguments as they push for reduced fossil fuel use and demand accountability from the largest greenhouse gas emitters, though their legislation remains stalled in the Senate.

“The more we drill, the more damage we do to our oceans and coastlines, and it’s time fossil fuel corporations admitted it,” House Natural Resources Chairman Raul M. Grijalva, said. “The future of our energy supply can’t rely on producing oil and gas indefinitely, and if Exxon, Chevron and BP don’t have a better business model in mind, they’re not going to be part of that future.”
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Rep. Donald S. Beyer Jr., D-Va., said the new study confirms that “fossil fuels and carbon pollution fueled a climate crisis which is doing lasting damage” to the environment and economy right now.

“Ocean acidification is a serious problem which threatens coral reefs, key species, and also jobs in the United States and around the world,” Beyer, who is co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition Climate Change Task Force, said. “That damage is a legacy of environmental injustice, with wealthier consumers and large corporations contributing to problems which disproportionately harm poorer countries and communities.”

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