The US Chamber of Commerce has spent $488 million in the past 11 years on lobby efforts. Now they’re throwing their weight and cash behind trying to block regulation that will cap carbon emissions. Now they want the Environmental Protection Agency to hold hearings to prove
that greenhouse gases pose enough of a danger to public health to justify regulations controlling their emissions under the Clean Air Act.
It’s fortunate that William Kovacs, the chamber’s top environment specialist, isn’t buying into this tactic to stall environmental change so companies can continue to make financial profits at the risk of the world’s health. When he said as much this triggered a series of defections by the chamber’s eco-sensitive members
who already disagreed with the chamber’s stance on greenhouse gas legislation.
Three utilities announced plans to either quit the chamber or resign their seats on its board. Then Nike Inc. resigned its board seat, and Apple Inc. quit the organization, saying it “supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and it is frustrating to find the chamber at odds with us in this effort.”
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