Community | September 30, 2009 | 10 comments

U.S. Chamber of Commerce faces revolt over its opposition to global warming legislation

source: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_13447658

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jefftego
As California Sen. Barbara Boxer prepares to unveil the Senate's climate change legislation on Capitol Hill today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — a strong opponent of the global warming bill passed by the House and a likely foe of the Senate bill — faces a high-profile revolt by some of its members.

Earlier this month, San Francisco-based PG&E took the extraordinary step of quitting the chamber because of its "extreme rhetoric and obstructionist tactics" as the debate over global warming legislation heats up in Congress.

Two other utility companies, New Mexico's PNM and Chicago's Exelon, followed PG&E's lead, and other companies are under pressure to join the exodus.

The defections began when PG&E Chairman and CEO Peter Darbee sent a sharply worded two-page letter outlining why the privately owned utility, which provides gas and electricity to 15 million customers from Eureka to Bakersfield, is pulling out of the chamber, which represents 3 million large and small businesses across the country and has one of the most powerful lobbying operations in Washington.

Darbee, who has invited leading climate scientists to meet with PG&E's board of directors in recent years, was particularly alarmed that the chamber recently requested a public "trial" to weigh the scientific evidence that global warming endangers human health.

"We find it dismaying that the Chamber neglects the indisputable fact that a decisive majority of experts have said the data on global warming are compelling and point to a threat that cannot be ignored," Darbee wrote. "In our view, an intellectually honest argument over the best policy response to the challenges of climate change is one thing; disingenuous attempts to diminish or distort the reality of these challenges are quite another."

PNM, New Mexico's largest utility company, followed PG&E's lead a few days later. And on Monday, Exelon announced it was pulling out of the chamber as well.
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Politics,   Green,   US Politics,   2 more
  2. tags:
    Climate Change,  US Chamber of Commerce
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10 comments // U.S. Chamber of Commerce faces revolt over its opposition to global warming legislation

  • carmalite
    • 0
      carmalite  

    • The US Chamber of Commerce is also the main lobby group to prevent raising the minimum wage and to prevent reform to immigration.
      Why? They make so much money paying illegals pennies on the dollar. They don't want them to become legal so that they can continue to exploit them.

      They also opose protecting ANY USA industry or workers and support importing foreign workers even when there are Americans in the field who are unemployed.

    • 2 years ago
  • PirateSauce
    • 0
      PirateSauce  

    • Man made global warming is pure bullshit. Just another HUGE tax on the middle class... seriously.. how the fuck is taxing people for using energy going to REVERSE the fictional claim of man made global warming?

    • 2 years ago
  • carmalite
    • 0
      carmalite  
    • PirateSauce:

      You will be saying that when the oceans are 4 feet higher. It you don't believe it, then how could it possibly exist? Right?
      Even Jerry Falwell came to believe in it before he passed.

    • 2 years ago
  • thecoyote23
    • 0
      thecoyote23  

    • Of course they are opposed, it means they will have to change their ways and it will cost them money, which will cut into their CEO's pockets.

    • 2 years ago
  • ocanada
    • 0
      ocanada  

    • In a surprising development and an update to this story. Nike has now left the Chamber of Commerce over their anti climate stance.

    • 2 years ago
  • ocanada
    • 0
      ocanada  

    • I would expect Duke energy which has backed obama in many cases and has regional ties to the midwest infrastructure for new energy that stands to benefit from cap and trade and more ethical business standards as they have moved further in that direction than almost any other energy company in America. The truth is that for utility companies the cap and trade bill means a smarter electric grid, which means an easier to maintain grid, which means more profits to them so of course they are for it.

    • 2 years ago
  • bgoode22
    • 0
      bgoode22  

    • I am not sure which legislation is being cited in this post, but if it is the so called "Cap and Trade," these people are kidding themselves if they think that will slow or stop whatever climate changes we are in store for. But I think that if the US CoC is calling for a hearing concerning the GW's effect on human health and well being then that is just silly. But let us also not forget that the scientific community is divided on the GW issue. THERE IS NO CONSENSUS, other than that it has been getting warmer, but now we've just had one of the coolest summers on record in the last 2 decades. Anyone who really wants to solve this problem, will be talking about the work of Nikola Tesla, who was trying to provide free energy from the zero point of the unified field back at the turn of the 20th century. We can all thank JP Morgan for taking that away from us.

    • 2 years ago
  • AlGores_Uncle
    • 0
      AlGores_Uncle  

    • Hey if PNM pulled out it must mean their actions are super corrupt. PNM is not known for their honesty or their benevolence. Basically they're fuckers.

    • 2 years ago
  • masterzip
  • hunzedog
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