Former Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield hires “powerful” DC lobbying firm following FTC allegations

(Bloomberg) – Scott Sheffield, the former head of Pioneer Natural Resources Co., has hired a powerful Washington, DC lobbying firm after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said he tried to collude with OPEC.

Sheffield hired Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP to lobby on “issues related to the FTC,” according to a recently filed disclosure report.

As part of its review of Exxon Mobil Corp.’s $60 billion takeover of Pioneer, the antitrust agency said it found evidence Sheffield sought to communicate with OPEC and U.S. peers about oil pricing and output. The FTC referred the matter for a potential criminal investigation.

The FTC approved the sale but barred Sheffield, Pioneer’s founder from joining Exxon’s board. Sheffield denies the allegations, saying, “they are based on a false narrative, mischaracterization of the facts and evidence, and a baseless interpretation of the applicable law.”

The lobbying disclosure was previously reported by the trade publication E&E News.

World Oil added context to paragraph 5.