Don’t Let the FTC Drama Distract You. Exxon Mobil Just Got a Huge Win.

The Federal Trade Commission made headlines this week when it barred a well-known Texas oil executive from joining Exxon Mobil board, as a condition of the oil major’s purchase of Pioneer Natural Resources. The buzzy news around the deal was the FTC’s allegation that former Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield had tried to convince other oil producers to slow production and boost prices. Sheffield declined to comment, but Pioneer disputed the FTC’s claims about collusion, saying the commission has a “fundamental misunderstanding of the U.S. and global oil markets.”