Apple quits U.S. Chamber of Commerce

vfx · 10-06-2009, 05:33 PM

Apple quits U.S. Chamber of Commerce over global warming views

Quote:

Adding momentum to the revolt against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Apple on Monday resigned from the business group because of its opposition to federal efforts to limit greenhouse gases.

Quote:

"Apple is committed to protecting the environment and the communities in which we operate around the world,"

mt2 · 10-06-2009, 06:31 PM

Article links: Apple quits U.S. Chamber of Commerce - Google News

vfx · 10-07-2009, 09:41 AM

What gives?
The Understory » Corporations Breaking Ranks on Climate

Arnold Panz · 10-07-2009, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vfx

What gives?
The Understory » Corporations Breaking Ranks on Climate

I love the irony of this quote in the story:

Quote:

Chamber VP Bill Kovacs publicly called to subject climate change to “the Scopes monkey trial of the 21st century.” Kovacs goes further, believing that federal action on climate change will “virtually destroy the United States.”

Um, does he think, in his Scopes monkey trial analogy, that climate change is the equivalent of creationism, completely unsupported by science? The Scopes monkey trial was all about the triumph of scientific consensus (in that case, evolution) over blind adherence to dogma (in that case, creationism). Does the Chamber VP not know where the science (as opposed to blind dogma) is leading us on climate change?

On another note, is it better for companies to quit the Chamber, or try to stay in the organization to try to change it's approach on climate change? Nike's move was particularly odd -- they quit their Board position, where they presumably at least had some ability to influence this stuff, but didn't quit the Chamber altogether. How does that help the cause?

vfx · 10-07-2009, 11:43 AM

I thought the monkey trial comment was lame, At least be clever and make a half thought out Apple - Adam and Eve comparison.

More:
Who does the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Really Represent?

GREENWIRE

Quote:

Chamber CEO takes Steve Jobs to task in climate row (10/07/2009)

Michael Burnham, E&E senior reporter

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is defending its climate policy positions
in a new and very public way.

Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue sent Apple CEO Steve Jobs a letter
yesterday that questions the computer maker's judgment for leaving the
business lobby over the group's opposition to U.S. EPA regulation of
greenhouse gases.

"It is unfortunate that your company didn't take the time to understand
the chamber's position on climate and forfeited the opportunity to
advance a 21st century approach to climate change," Donohue wrote.

In the past two weeks, Exelon Corp., PNM Resources Inc. and PG&E Corp.
have said they will not renew their membership with the chamber because
of its climate policy positions. Nike Inc. resigned from the chamber's
board last week but remains one of the Washington, D.C.-based business
group's more than 3 million members (Greenwire, Sept. 30).

Until now, chamber officials have declined to comment on the comings and
goings of individual members. But Apple, which resigned from the chamber
yesterday, touched a nerve. The business group e-mailed Donohue's letter
to Jobs to reporters -- an effort that a chamber official described as
an attempt to set the record straight about the business group's nuanced
climate policy position.

Apple is harder for the chamber to ignore than the three energy
companies that recently left, analysts said.

"Apple is iconic with a lot of young consumers," said Bruce Cain,
political science professor at the University of California, Berkeley,
and director of the UC Washington Center. "In terms of putting pressure
on the government to slow down its energy initiative, a united front is
always better than a divided one, and this one makes it look like old
business versus new."

If the chamber is hearing private rumblings of mutiny, officials there
may feel they need to stem the tide, said Kenneth Green, resident
scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
Apple also is harder to pass off as a company that stands to benefit
from proposed legislation, he said. The three energy companies that have
left all would benefit from the bill that passed the House in June.

"For Apple there's no obvious reason," Green said. "It looks more like a
matter of conscience. They have to respond."

Green noted, however, that most of Apple's carbon emissions are
generated outside the United States because the company makes its
products in Asia. That means it would be less directly affected by a
U.S. carbon cap, he said.

"They get a free P.R. boost [by leaving the chamber], and it doesn't
cost them anything," Green said.
U.S. Chamber's position

The chamber supports "strong federal legislation and a binding
international agreement" to reduce global emissions of carbon dioxide
and other heat-trapping gases, Donohue notes in the letter.

"We believe that Congress should set climate change policy through
legislation, rather than having the EPA apply existing environmental
statutes that were not created to regulate greenhouse gas emissions,"
Donohue wrote. "This is also the stated position of the president and
congressional leaders."

An Apple spokesman did not respond to requests for comment for this
story. But company officials have made clear that the chamber's
opposition to EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions was a key
reason for Apple's resignation.

"We would prefer the chamber take a more progressive stance on this
critical issue and play a constructive role in addressing the climate
crisis," wrote Catherine Novelli, Apple's vice president of worldwide
government affairs, in a letter to Donohue on Monday. "However, because
the chamber's position differs so sharply with Apple's, we have decided
to resign our membership effective immediately."

In August, the chamber petitioned EPA to host an on-the-record "trial"
in which environmental and business groups could engage in a weighing of
the scientific evidence that global warming endangers human health
(E&ENews PM, Aug. 25).

The chamber's petition comes as EPA prepares to declare that emissions
of CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and
sulfur hexafluoride from new automobiles and their engines contribute to
air pollution that endangers public health and welfare.

The chamber has vowed to file a lawsuit if EPA moves ahead with its
final endangerment finding. The chamber and the National Automobile
Dealers Association have already filed a lawsuit to block California
from implementing its greenhouse gas emissions limits for cars and
trucks.

The chamber also opposed the House-passed emissions cap-and-trade bill
(H.R. 2454), charging that it would put U.S. businesses at a competitive
disadvantage with companies in countries that do not cap their
emissions. The business group has yet to offer a detailed critique of
companion legislation introduced in the Senate last week.
Chamber foes see group stalling

Donohue's letter drew fresh scorn from adversaries who have been
pressing the chamber to alter its climate policy positions.

"Apple certainly 'took the time' to understand the chamber's position --
which is precisely why it repudiated the chamber's position so
resoundingly by resigning its membership," charged Bruce Herbert, who
runs Newground Social Investment, a registered investment adviser with
about $68 million under management, including shares of Nike.

Herbert has been pressing Starbucks Corp. and other chamber companies in
which his investors own shares to disclose fully how much money they
give to political action committees and trade associations that engage
in political activities.

Herbert interpreted the chamber's insistence on a "binding international
agreement" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as a stalling measure.

"What they really mean is no action until everyone is bound to precisely
the same targets and deadlines," he added.

Peter Altman, policy director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's
climate campaign, contended that the United States must curb its CO2
before it can persuade other major emitters to agree to a binding
international climate agreement.

"If the chamber thinks it is leading the way into 21st energy solutions
and Apple is some kind of technological laggard, the chamber needs a new
map and compass," added Altman, who has chronicled the chamber
departures on his blog and launched the Web site
whodoesthechamberrepresent.org.

vfx · 10-17-2009, 09:25 AM

Activists are really upset with Toyota who have ignored requests to have them drop out too.

They have a flickr page to post a picture of owners with plug in Toyotas.
Toyota: Quit the Chamber of Commerce - a set on Flickr

Arnold Panz · 10-19-2009, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vfx

Activists are really upset with Toyota who have ignored requests to have them drop out too.

This may be a concerted effort to go after every large company in the US Chamber. I just got this e-mail about CVS, which isn't exactly a company on the front lines (either way) of the climate change issue:

Quote:

Dear MoveOn member,

Why would a company like CVS oppose solutions to global warming?

CVS is a prominent member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which just launched a $100 million campaign described as a "declaration of war on the White House." The Chamber is pouring millions into killing clean energy as well as health care reform.1

Recently, an uprising of companies fighting back against the Chamber of Commerce has begun, led by companies like Apple, Nike, Johnson & Johnson, and GE.2

But CVS continues to help fund the Chamber's anti-climate agenda through their Chamber dues.

Can you call CVS and urge them to quit the Chamber of Commerce? If you're a customer of CVS, be sure to mention it when you call. Here's the info:

CVS
(401) 765-1500, press 0 twice

Then, report your call by clicking here:

MoveOn.org Political Action: Thanks for Calling CVS

For years, the Chamber of Commerce has pushed a right-wing agenda.3 But now, it's trying to kill progress on clean energy, health care, workers' rights, and even financial reform.4

The U.S. Chamber has gotten so out of step with its own members that even local chambers are joining the rebellion. "They don't represent me," the head of the Greater New York Chamber said the other day.5

The top issues causing companies to walk away from the Chamber are clean energy and global warming. Wind and solar power create jobs and help the economy, and most business leaders know it.6

But the Chamber isn't listening. After Apple quit, the Chamber's president said of his critics, "Bring 'em on."7

So why is CVS still funding the Chamber? The Chamber wouldn't be able to run multi-million dollar campaigns if it weren't getting so much money from its members.

Call CVS today and urge them to quit the Chamber of Commerce:

CVS
(401) 765-1500, press 0 twice

Then, help track our progress by clicking here:

MoveOn.org Political Action: Thanks for Calling CVS

Thanks for all you do.

–Steven, Wes, Anna, Noah, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Does the U.S. Chamber Speak for Big Business?," Business Week, October 7, 2009
Does the U.S. Chamber Speak for Big Business? - BusinessWeek

2. "Apple quits U.S. Chamber of Commerce over global warming views," San Jose Mercury News, October 5, 2009
Apple quits U.S. Chamber of Commerce over global warming views - San Jose Mercury News

"Nike Resigns From Chamber Board," The New York Times, September 30, 2009
Nike Resigns From Chamber Board - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com

3. "A Quiet Revolution In Business Lobbying: Chamber of Commerce Helps Bush Agenda," The Washington Post, February 5, 2005
washingtonpost.com: A Quiet Revolution In Business Lobbying

4. "Corporate America Is Fighting Back," Financial Post, October 14, 2009
Corporate America is fighting back

5. "Defections Expose Chamber's Dirty Little Secrets" The Washington Post, October 16, 2009
washingtonpost.com

6. "At Chamber of Commerce, Member Exodus on Climate Issue a Big PR Problem," Newsweek, October 6, 2009
At Chamber of Commerce, Member Exodus on Climate Issue a Big PR Problem - The Gaggle Blog - Newsweek.com

7. "Defiant Chamber Chief Says 'Bring 'Em On,'" The New York Times, October 8, 2009
Defiant Chamber Chief Says ‘Bring ’Em On’ - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com

vfx · 10-19-2009, 06:56 PM

I liked the Chamber of Commerce drop from representing 3 million businesses to 300,000 in one day!

vfx · 10-19-2009, 07:57 PM

US Chamber Gets Punked

Quote:

This morning, activists from the Yes Men troupe claiming to represent the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced the organization was reversing its years of opposition to any climate bill before Congress, saying in jest that the “Kerry-Boxer Bill is a good start to a strong climate bill.” CNBC and the Fox Business Network cited the many companies who have quit the Chamber as a reason for the fictional about-face.

Video

YouTube Video