“U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said he applauds companies that have quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over disagreement with the business group’s climate change policy,” Tom Doggett reports for Reuters.
“‘I think it’s wonderful,’ Chu told reporters at a solar energy event on the National Mall,” Doggett reports. “He said other companies should quit the group because the Chamber does not fully recognize the business possibilities in taking aggressive action on climate.”
“On Monday, Apple Inc. resigned from the chamber while last month three big power utilities, Exelon Corp, PG&E Corp and PNM Resources Inc, said they were leaving the chamber,” Doggett reports. “Other companies have criticized the chamber, which has pushed for public hearings to challenge the scientific evidence of man-made climate change.”
Doggett reports, “The chamber has said it favors ‘mainstream, common sense views’ on climate change but opposes a climate bill that the House of Representatives narrowly passed in June.”
Full article here.
The Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal reports, “The head of the [U.S. Chamber of Commerce], however, renewed his criticism of the resignations, saying it was the victim of an organized campaign by environmentalists. He said Apple and others have misstated the chamber’s position. ‘It’s pretty clear because we’ve heard it from our own companies that a number of environmental groups are trying to apply some pressure on Chamber companies to apply pressure on us to change our views,’ Chamber President Thomas Donohue said at a press conference.”
Full article here.