Cap and Evade

Companies not following through on pledge to lobby for carbon reduction

Posted at 12:48 PM on 22 Feb 2008

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."

source: BusinessWeek
see also, in Grist: With big biz jumping on the green bandwagon, should activists cheer or jeer?

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Comments: (6 comments)

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Let's Get Real

The people who run energy companies are some of the most evil people on Earth. (If you don't believe this, do some research on how the coal companies killed people trying to unionize and how the nuclear industry had people like Karen Silkwood killed.) Their primary concerns, by far, are making and keeping as much money and power as possible. So why would anyone expect them to actually want CO2 reductions, which will cause them to make less money?

by Wolverine at 2:23 PM on 22 Feb 2008

what about sierra, nrdc and CEERT?

we have our own dirty little partnership in CA, where the utilities joined forces with the contractors who build "renewable energy" plants, then swept in the greenwashers in Sierra Club (national, not locals), NRDC, Concerned Scientists and others.

Stated goal: reduce GHGS

method: kill off millions of acres of desert wilderness owned by US citizens for gigantic, taxpayer subsidized solar/wind projects far from point of use, force people from their homes by eminent domain for lengthy transmission.

completely ignored or shortchanged: meaningful conservation/serious commitment to PV on previously developed land (including rooftops at point of use), limiting utility-scale projects to brownfields and other blighted land.

who pays: wilderness, ratepayers, citizens, taxpayers, former believers in Sierra Club and NRDC

who gets paid: Big Energy and it's cronies

who could get paid if it was done right, but who isn't getting paid thanks to this unholy alliance:

ALL OF US WHO COULD HAVE CHEAP PV PANELS AND WHO COULD GET PAID CASH MONEY FOR PRODUCING RENEWABLE ENERGY, WHILE OUT ENJOYING OUR OPEN SPACES.

is this ok with people here?

the greenest energy is that which you needn't ever produce.

by stopgreenpath at 3:32 PM on 23 Feb 2008

Sitting on Boards

Can't a person or company sit on a board and be opposed to the majority position of the organization?

by eutopianow at 5:16 AM on 25 Feb 2008

Let's get Really Real

Wolverine,
You must be terrified to live in an imaginary world filled by all these evil people. Pity you are lost in such irrationality. Business men are certainly "in it for the money" just as you are when you go to work, assuming you do work for a living.

When did the coal companies unionize? About 135 years ago, according to my brief research. Are those evil guys still around? I'll bet they are long dead.
Karen Silkwood killed? She fell asleep and died in a single car crash.
"..blood tests performed as part of the autopsy showed Silkwood had 0.35 milligrams of methaqualone (Quaalude) per 100 milliliters of blood at the time of her death. That amount is almost twice the recommended dosage for inducing drowsiness." Appears just as likely that she caused her own death by risky behavior.

Yet more absurdly unfounded beliefs!

by Dan Detroit at 8:52 AM on 25 Feb 2008
[ Parent ]

Sitting on Boards

A reasonable comment for a change!

A board of directors typically is a voting group, Yes, an individual director can be opposed to the majority position of the organization.

by Dan Detroit at 8:55 AM on 25 Feb 2008
[ Parent ]

evolution of the nay-sayers

First they denied climate change was occurring - and paid a lot of faux scientists, think-tanks, and phony citizens groups, to put out their propaganda. Then their ad men and women convinced them to acknowledge the problem - and create phony do-nothing councils and put money into developing cozy relationships with national environmental groups. Brillant!

Well, guess what? The most recent data on global GHG emissions indicates that emissions are rising faster than the worst case scenarios modeled by the UNFCCC. We can't go on thinking that we can solve this planet threatening condition with smoke and mirrors. We must act at whatever level we are capable of, and not let ourselves become seduced by the feel-good, meaningless statements of people, companies, and organizations that have only their own misguided interests in mind.

Tom Kelly

by kyotousa at 12:54 PM on 25 Feb 2008

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