ExxonMobil wins 2009 Corporate Hall of Shame award

Each year, the organization Corporate Accountability International (CAI) asks the public to submit nominees to the Corporate Hall of Shame. The winner for 2009 is ExxonMobil. The race was close, with Exxon neck-and-neck with AIG.

CAI describes ExxonMobil as "Big Oil's worst polluter, a 'leader' in stalling crucial action on climate change, and the most profitable corporation in U.S. history -- all built on the back of record oil prices and environmental devastation."

The organization goes on to say that in 2008 and 2009, Exxon has polluted our air and water at sites in Texas, Louisiana, California, and Massachusetts.

And, of course, we can recall how badly they handled the 1989 Valdez oil spill.

The Hall of Shame has a real impact, according to CAI: "When we challenge a corporation through the Hall of Shame, the impact is real. Under pressure from Corporate Accountability International, past Hall of Shame inductees -- HCA, the nation's largest hospital corporation, and Waste Management -- halted abusive practices and eventually earned their way out of the Hall of Shame!"

Help choose next year's inductee:

Click here to nominate up to three companies for the Corporate Hall of Shame 2010.