Earth Equity News

Climate Issues Split the Ranks of Washington's Powerful Business Lobby. By Elizabeth Williamson, WSJ, April 17, 2008, subscription. "[The] U.S. Chamber of Commerce [is] Washington's biggest-spending lobbying group... But as Washington tilts more Democratic, populist and green, some... are becoming leery... On issues such as climate change, [the Chamber's leader, Thomas Donahue] is finding his efforts countered by big corporations, several of them chamber members, taking a more liberal public stance... At least eight powerful chamber members -- including GE, Dow Chemical and Alcoa -- have joined with environmental groups to lobby for a 'cap-and-trade' system favorable to them... The chamber has also split with big companies over a consumer-product safety bill now in Congress... Congressional Democrats are becoming more aggressive in challenging business priorities, such as their move last week to sideline a free-trade deal with Colombia. With Democrats poised to make further gains in Congress, retired Marine Corps commandant Gen. James L. Jones... of the chamber's Institute for 21^st Century Energy, said the chamber's 'Republican free-market philosophy' is due for fine-tuning. 'You can't be simply seen as leaning one way or the other,' he said."