Former Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield hires ‘powerful’ DC lobbying firm in wake of FTC allegations

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

Sheffield has hired Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP to lobby on “FTC-related issues,” 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 that Sheffield sought to communicate with OPEC and fellow Americans about oil prices and production. The FTC has referred the matter for possible 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, a mischaracterization of the facts and evidence, and a baseless interpretation of the applicable law.”

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

World Oil added context to paragraph 5.