Companies participating in the U.S. Climate Action Partnership have pledged to lobby for a mandatory cap on U.S. carbon emissions, but — and there’s always a but — many of those same corporations are working behind the scenes to undermine greenhouse-gas regulation. Just a few examples: USCAP members General Electric and Caterpillar sit on the board of a group called the Center for Energy & Economic Development, which opposes greenhouse-gas regulations. USCAP member Duke Energy has joined notorious coal lobbying group Americans for Balanced Energy Choices. Eight USCAP members sit on the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is critical of attempts to reduce carbon; the chamber vice president of environment says no board members have pressured the chamber to change its position. Which is kind of what USCAP is about: Says David Hawkins of green group and USCAP member NRDC, “We do expect them to exert pressure on other organizations.”
