The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that in the past year, the three largest U.S. energy exploration companies paid over $42-billion to foreign governments, which is about eight times more than what they paid in the United States (all figures U.S.). A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that this information comes from regulatory filings and is required under a new Securities and Exchange Commission requirement. Exxon Mobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips disclosed this information for the first time ever. Transparency advocates have long pushed for a rule to reveal Big Oil's foreign financial transactions and ensure U.S. taxpayers benefit from soaring U.S. oil production. Exxon paid out $22.5-billion in taxes, royalties and other items overseas. In contrast, it made about $2.3-billion in U.S.-based payments in 2023, including just $1.2-billion to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Exxon's U.S.-based upstream earnings totalled $4.2-billion, compared with $17.1-billion in non-U.S. markets, says Exxon's 2023 annual report. Last year, most of Chevron's upstream profits were from international markets -- at $17.4-billion compared with $4.1-billion in the U.S. -- according to Chevron's 2023 annual report.