I don't see how personal anecdotes about people you've met stand up to evidence. When you say, "the scientists on the ground getting accused of the “deception” are some of the smartest, most caring, and highest-integrity people I’ve met.", it looks like standard victim rhetoric - I mean, what an amazing group of people!

> research into carbon capture and other mitigations a top corporate priority

Do you have evidence? Evidence in the OP says otherwise:

"The documents include some statements which, according to the attorney general’s office, show Exxon knew that technology was also unlikely to present a scalable solution to cutting emissions.

A 2014 presentation on Exxon’s carbon capture portfolio included a slide listing challenges to reaching commercial scale. It noted widespread deployment would require a “massive investment” and an eventual storage rate “comparable to current oil and gas production.” It said costs were high and there were no market-based incentives."

Also, where are the results from this top priority of some of the largest companies in the world, with all these good-natured earnest scientists working on it?