Nation’s Largest Utility Leaves U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Over Climate Denial

[kpete]

Source: Think Progress

Nation’s Largest Utility Leaves U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Over Climate Denial

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the largest lobbying force in the nation, promoting a right-wing agenda as the “voice of business.” The Chamber claims that a cap-and-trade program to limit global warming pollution would “strangle the economy” and has even called for a “Scopes monkey trial” on the science of global warming.

Today, Exelon CEO John Rowe announced that his company — the largest electric utility company in the United States — would not renew its membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of its opposition to global warming action. In his keynote address to the annual conference of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the nation’s largest association of energy efficiency experts, Rowe said that the Chamber’s multi-million-dollar campaign against clean energy legislation is incompatible with Exelon’s commitment to climate change leadership. As Rowe said when he accepted a leadership award from the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce in 2008:

*** Exelon has staked out an industry-leading position on the issue of climate change and, in the spirit of Daniel Burnham, we have launched our own “not so little plan” to eliminate the equivalent of our entire carbon footprint by the year 2020. I do not know if it will stir men’s souls, but I hope it will stir policymakers and others in our industry to action.

Confirming Exelon’s decision to ThinkProgress, a spokesperson explained that “Exelon is a big supporter of climate legislation.” Exelon is the third energy company to sever ties with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the past week, joining Pacific Gas & Electric and PNM Resources.



Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/28/exelon-quits-chamber/

[tomm2thumbs]

1. just for that, I'm not renewing either - let's put the US COC out of business

[boilerbabe]

27. I think that's a good idea

The Chamber of Commerce either needs to address some issues to remain relevant or go the way of the dinosaurs. A lot of associations (some professional, some social) seem to be declining these days. I am not sure if it is because younger people have other ways to associate or what. I have seen this decline happen over the years that I have been a member of NAPE (National Assoc. of Power Engineers) and NESAPE (New England States Assoc. of Power Engineers). I am often the youngest person at the meetings and I am 48!

I would like to see either the demise or change of the COC, but hate to see the decline of NAPE or NESAPE. We strictly avoid politics and strive to further education, employment, and fellowship within the power engineering industry. National also has a "Green Committee", which I am a member of. We are still trying to formulate a solid goal, and hopefully, with the expertise of my colleagues (we are talking years of experience in the power engineering field), we will accomplish something worthy.

[glinda]

38. The COC had changed in the last few years and has become the hand-maiden of

Big Pharma and Oil and Coal. It is now a Republican lobbying machine yet they present the image of "businesses banding together for common good".
The COC needs to be investigated. They need to also be outed for what they are.
There needs to be another business organization to counter them. One with a conscience.
A friend of mine, who owns a business, told me that she had been blackballed by them because she would not support their agenda. They attempt to make life miserable for her by putting pressure on her business. It is sad. And why do they get tax payer money for some of their sites?
Any media out there listening?????

[timeforpeace]

41. A Scopes-like trial is needed to put an end to this once and for all!

[TexasProgresive]

63. Yeah! Like that worked for evolution.

[Cha]

45. Yeah, sneaky little shits backed the

wrong horse.

[AlbertCat]

72. Really! Dummies. Any energy company that wants to be in business in the future

... at least must pretend to go green... and will probably do better by actually going green.

It's the difference between an "I got mine....now now NOW" attitude and a "We'll do great down the line if we give some now" business model. One is very Reaganesque. The other in many ways is very old school conservative.

[tsuki]

49. If you are a member of the COC, you cannot shop non-member stores. nt

[glinda]

56. How do they know. Tracking device? You are right though and on top of it they

tell people to shop elsewhere.

[redsoxrudy]

60. Word of warning

oops, replied in wrong spot. sorry
Some posts are lumping in local chambers of commerce with the US COC. I live in a small town in WI and had been laid off from my house painting job off and on for two years. I decided to start my own company. I had been told great things about the local COC from other small businesses. So I made sure before hand that no money is sent to the US COC. I am involved in local politics so I already knew that they are also completely non-political regarding any local or state issues. They have really helped my fledgling business and I have been able to keep from having my house foreclosed on which is where it was headed.

[defendandprotect]

64. Wow . . .

[jgraz]

73. Let's all become COC-Blockers.

I'm in.

[MountainLaurel]

2. I had read about PG&E

And thought that was big, but this is even more impressive.

[WriteDown]

3. Interesting considering this....

"In 2005, Exelon was required to pay a $602,000 fine for exceeding the permitted sulfur dioxide emission limit from April to October 2004 at its Cromby Generating Station in Chester County, Pennsylvania.<5>

Exelon and Illinois state officials waited for four years until 2006 before disclosing that Exelon's Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station, a nuclear plant 60 miles southeast of Chicago, had spilled millions of gallons of water containing tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, multiple times over a decade. Exelon officials eventually apologized and said the risks from the leak were “minimal”, with tritium levels in surrounding wells all found to be below regulatory limits. <6>"

[boilerbabe]

28. That's amazing

If that happened here where I live in CT, that would have been all over the papers. They are very strict about effluent and don't allow any plants to put their water (treated or not) directly into any natural waterways (as far as I know). Though I doubt any municipal water treatment plant has the equipment to deal with radioactive waste. We have a nuke plant just down the road, by the way:)

[Wink]

50. It's not as bad as you may think. I know. I work there.

[Mari333]

74. My husband welded the containment unit in Braidwood when it was being built

I remember driving there to pick him up. ; )

[Triana]

4. Great news! Gives me some hope. Our DC politicians need a HARD kick in the a$$

There are FEWER and FEWER excuses for them to be piddling around on this issue. It's GROSSLY IMMORAL for them to be doing so at this point.

[apnu]

5. Ironice that they'd envoke Scopes... Does the Chamber of Commerce know how it tuned out?

It would be damn funny if they did have a Scopes-Monkey trial with climate change and the US CC was beaten down like the dullards they are.

I'd watch it.

[boilerbabe]

29. I ronic or irrelevant?? Scopes has nothing to do with the issue, but..

Those people manage to twist shit to their purposes. It's like the stupidly endless references to Watergate whenever a scandal of any kind occurs. That is so lame!!!! What the hell did Monica Lewinsky have to do with people breaking into Democratic hq?

And a lot of people weren't even born when the original Scopes Monkey trial went through, let alone Watergate.

A good way to defeat those that do not operate for the best interests of the majority of the population is to not necessarily call notice to them, but to make them die on the vine, so to speak. What do you think?

[apnu]

37. I think a "trial" would be a stupid waste of time.

One thing to remember about the Scopes-Monkey is that it was a publicity stunt. One that backfired badly on the religious nuts of the time. That's why I said it would be ironic (thought I typo'd the subject, badly). And it seems to me the comment about a trial was meaning to also be a publicity stunt, hence the comparison.

Irony aside, this would be a waste of time, why do we need a "trial" to judge scientific data?

[Chef Eric]

61. No, the Scopes Trial did NOT backfire on the religious nuts.

The religious nuts won. Tennessee did not reverse its ban on teaching evolution until 1967.

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Chef Eric]

57. What are you talking about?

The bad guys WON the Scopes Monkey trial. John Scopes and Clarence Darrow LOST.

[fascisthunter]

6. Rigth On!

hahaha...

[benld74]

7. Perhaps they began to dislike the Prosperity Agenda, see below

Attract, Educate, and Empower Workers
Secure Clean and Affordable Energy
Modernize Our Infrastructure
End Lawsuit Abuse and Unfair Litigation
Strengthen U.S. Capital Markets
Provide Health Care and Retirement Security
Create American Jobs Through Trade
Protect Intellectual Property
Keep Taxes Low
Challenge Unions' Anti-Growth Agenda


Copyright © 2008 U.S. Chamber of Commerce 1615 H St NW Washington DC 20062-2000 All Rights Reserved
Advancing human progress through an economic, political and social system based on individual freedom, incentive, initiative, opportunity, and responsibility.

[crazylikafox]

9. you forgot the sarcasm thingy

[boilerbabe]

31. Oh, now I am embarassed for taking it seriously!!! Blush. n/t

[boilerbabe]

30. They musta got lost...

I liked the agenda until I saw that reference to challenging Union's anti growth agenda. What is that? I am not in a union, but I can't see them not trying to expand.

I guess it's one thing to compile a list, but another to follow it. I do that all the time--must have about a billion scraps of paper with "things to do" that ain't been done yet:)

[David Zephyr]

8. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce historically has been an insidious enemy of small businesses.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strokes small business people with empty platitudes while doing the work of it's real employer, larger multi-national corporations.

It is a right-wing propaganda machine for uber-corps and only the vanity of small business owners lures them to be members.

[depakid]

16. It's been a Robber Baron front group for many, many years

[boilerbabe]

33. Unfortunately, it will probably remain so... n/t

[David Zephyr]

51. Indeed.

Like the so-called "National Association of Manufacturers" it is a shell for corrupt corporations that crap on American workers and small businesses.

[boilerbabe]

32. That's an eye-opener

They must just lure the small businesses in just to take their money and gather up lobbying power (which would probably be against their interests?) Does this sound familiar in any way?

[HughMoran]

69. It's so true - small business is getting hammered and C of C is behind much of the stuff killing

small business. Only a moron small business idiot would be a member of C of C.

[LynnTheDem]

10. WELL DONE, John Rowe!

It's way past time we stand united for the PEOPLE and against corporate-uber-alles MFers.

[robdogbucky]

11. This should not surprise

anyone. The C of C has been an instrumental cog in the wheel of right wing corporate power structure since forever. This was contained in a post here on DU a while back and I saved it. These RW think tanks are the same entities that are behind the Teabaggers, climate denial, Birthers, Death Panelists, etc.

"Introduction

In 1971, Lewis F. Powell, then a corporate lawyer and member of the boards of 11 corporations, wrote a memo to his friend Eugene Sydnor, Jr., the Director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The memorandum was dated August 23, 1971, two months prior to Powell's nomination by President Nixon to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Powell Memo did not become available to the public until long after his confirmation to the Court. It was leaked to Jack Anderson, a liberal syndicated columnist, who stirred interest in the document when he cited it as reason to doubt Powell's legal objectivity. Anderson cautioned that Powell "might use his position on the Supreme Court to put his ideas into practice...in behalf of business interests."

Though Powell's memo was not the sole influence, the Chamber and corporate activists took his advice to heart and began building a powerful array of institutions designed to shift public attitudes and beliefs over the course of years and decades. The memo influenced or inspired the creation of the Heritage Foundation, the Manhattan Institute, the Cato Institute, Citizens for a Sound Economy, Accuracy in Academe, and other powerful organizations. Their long-term focus began paying off handsomely in the 1980s, in coordination with the Reagan Administration's "hands-off business" philosophy.

Most notable about these institutions was their focus on education, shifting values, and movement-building - a focus we share, though usually with contrasting goals. One of our great frustrations is that "progressive" foundations and funders have failed to learn from the success of these corporate institutions and decline to fund the Democracy Movement that we and a number of similarly-focused organizations are attempting to build. Instead, they overwhelmingly focus on damage control, band-aids and short-term results which provide little hope of the systemic change we so desperately need to reverse the trend of growing corporate dominance."

more at link:
http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/corporate_accountabilit...


Just my dos centavos

robdogbucky

[peacetalksforall]

13. I would really like to read the article you quoted from, but the link ddidn't work for me.

[billh58]

15. It worked

for me. I re-copied the link from the source -- try this:

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/28/exelon-quits-chamber/

[peacetalksforall]

17. Thanks, I meant the ReclaimDemocracy article. I went to their home page and

searched on Powell and it worked - so for others - this looks like a retroactive learning opportunity:

http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/corporate_accountability/powell_memo_lewis.html

[billh58]

20. Sorry about that

and I should have aimed before I fired. Yep, the original link left off the "y" in the last word...;-)

[Kaylin]

12. Carbon Tax would be a better choice

Cap and Trade would "strangle the economy". A carbon tax would be a better choice.

[RedCloud]

14. See ya Rowe. And do let the door hit you multiple times on your way out.

[defendandprotect]

18. Chamber of Commerce is a poison also very active in our towns, as well . . .

[glinda]

39. High profile "sites". I know ours had "pro-life" meetings too.

[defendandprotect]

19. Congratulations to Exelon . . . and hope others also do the same . . .!!!

[AntiFascist]

21. K&R, excellent....

nice to see PG&E did the same.

[boilerbabe]

22. Thanks for the thread and link

The outlook is good when major power producers decide to do the right thing. GE has a huge wind project going (a friend of mine from the hometown is now working for them in the wind division and it seems to be doing very well).

As I am in the power engineering industry, this topic is very relevant to me and what I do for a living. I was wondering if cap and trade would really solve things, and the article you linked to seems to say it would. I think that this is just the first step towards alleviation of major emissions, but not a permanent cure.

I was once a customer of PG & E, and I do think that they are pretty forward-looking, especially after they got hozed by purchasing energy from outside the state (can we say Enron??).

[robdogbucky]

23. A republican organ

willing to insert itself into any available orifice of the public body to achieve their ends.

This is another gem from the robdogbucky archives from earlier this summer:


I think it's fair to say, COC wanted GM to fail.


http://sev.prnewswire.com/auto/20090601/DC2518001062009...

WASHINGTON, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, today issued the following statement on the Obama administration's plan to restructure General Motors and the impending ruling on Chrysler:

"The future success of General Motors and Chrysler ultimately depends on whether they can profitably design and build cars that Americans and other consumers actually want to buy. Our biggest concern with the restructuring plan announced today is the potential for governments and unions to influence production, product, workforce, and management decisions in ways that could jeopardize the automakers' chances for survival, put politics and special interests above sound business strategy, and disrupt our nation's trading relationships across the world.

"For example, the UAW has said that it pressured GM to change where the company plans to produce a new line of smaller cars. And as part of the GM restructuring, the administration has reportedly closed the U.S. market to Opel and blocked Opel's forays into China so it could not compete with GM -- clear examples of market manipulation and protectionism. If members of Congress, along with government officials from the United States to Germany to Canada, are allowed undue influence over management's decisions, then you can write this down: These companies will not return to profitability and their survival will be seriously challenged. The global talent that exists in the automotive sector must be allowed to do its job and be paid on a competitive basis. Management must be permitted to make tough decisions in a competitive global market without political interference.

"So going forward, the U.S. Chamber will carefully monitor the activities of the new GM and Chrysler boards, and we will expose and fight any counterproductive influence by government, unions, or politicians over decisions that should be left to management. And we will continually insist that government reduce and eliminate its ownership stake as soon as possible."


GM went bankrupt BECAUSE of management, not because of union and government interference.



Just another few centavos

robdogbucky

[Uncle Joe]

24. This is encouraging and I salute John Rowe, Exelon, Pacific Gas & Electric and PNM Resources.

:patriot:

Thanks for the thread, kpete.:thumbsup:

[boilerbabe]

25. By the way,,,what is your opinion regarding nuclear power?

I actually like the idea of it, but the major problem would be storage of spent rods and vulnerability. Am arranging a tour for my group, the New England States Association of Power Engineers, at a nearby nuclear plant. Have always been fascinated by the operation and am finally going to check it out first-hand.

Or, maybe not, since they are going to do a serious background check on all of us before we can be cleared to do the tour. Haha, the president of NESAPE might get put in a holding tank for this one (that's what I get for doing those anti-war protests!) LOL

I remember not too long after Sept 11th, they sent us some Potassium or Cipro pills (can't recall exactly) in case the plant was to be attacked. I still have it in a cupboard somewhere behind the vitamins:)and duct tape....

[robdogbucky]

26. And some here might remember

their fierce opposition to Edwards in the last election cycle.

Why John, why?


WASHINGTON -- Alarmed at the increasingly populist tone of the 2008 political campaign, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is set to issue a fiery promise to spend millions of dollars to defeat candidates deemed to be anti-business. "We plan to build a grass-roots business organization so strong that when it bites you in the butt, you bleed," chamber President Tom Donohue said.

The warning from the nation's largest trade association came against a background of mounting popular concern over the condition of the economy. A weak record of job creation, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, declining home values and other problems have all helped make the economy a major campaign issue. Presidential candidates in particular have responded to the public concern. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina has been the bluntest populist voice, but other front-running Democrats, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, have also called for change on behalf of middle-class voters.



Even more than Republicans, Democratic candidates have boosted the volume of populist messages as the economy softens. Edwards, whose trial lawyer past has been openly criticized by Donohue for years, launched new advertisements that warn against the danger of replacing "corporate Republicans with corporate Democrats." The middle class, Edwards says in the new ad, is "losing ground while CEOs pocket million-dollar bonuses and corporate lobbyists get their way in Washington."

Donohue, in effect the nation's leading business advocate, kicked back hard at some of the leading Democratic proposals on taxes, labor law and the courts. If that agenda succeeds, he said, Democrats "will be gone from power for at least 40 years," though he acknowledged that the political rhetoric might moderate after the primary season.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-na-chamber8jan08,1,3667905.story



More centavos

robdogbucky

[SweepPicker]

34. This Is Good News!

I too was a member of my local chamber of commerce and received a bill for the upcoming year that promptly went in the trash.

[boilerbabe]

35. Forgot all about that but thanks for the reminder

Where are all those populist voices now and do they have any power? Edwards might have been correct in predicting the replacement of corporate Repubs with more of the same. Unfortunately, my guess is once you get to DC, you have to "play the game" , so I don't expect any major changes in my lifetime unless a nation-wide catastrophe (worse than what we have with the economy) occurs. I don't want to see that, though major changes would be welcome and supported here.

Thanks for the very cogent post:)

[waiting for hope]

70. The Chamber had it for Edwards since 2004 -

They knew he would continue and expand his Two America's theme and I betcha they lined a lot of pockets to make sure he was diminished.

[Zorra]

36. Awesome. The world needs to stand up against the plutocratic oligarchy

that would prefer to destroy the planet rather than lose one cent of profit.

[glinda]

40. Be sure to email Exelon and thank them.

[Cha]

46. I found this contact page unless you have a better one?

http://www.exeloncorp.com/aboutus/terms/contact_us

[Wink]

53. It isn't as altruistic as you may think.

Exelon is mainly nuclear power. Nuclear power is considered clean. While coal and gas plants are getting nailed for emissions, Exelon profits.

[glinda]

55. oh well, sigh

[bertman]

43. Here's how the Chamber sucks in small businesses: They have "partnered" with our

liability insurance carrier. if we join the Chamber of Commerce we get a ten percent rebate on our insurance premiums. A hefty chunk of change for a small business.

We told them to take a flying leap.

So they put the local Chamber of Commerce rep on our case to try to get us to join. Relentless calls, emails and they swear that they are NOT AFFILIATED with the national chapter.

My business partner and I had just discussed the massive disinformation campaign the Chamber has mounted against healthcare reform.

We both decided that we absolutely could not contribute to an organization that has no sense of responsibility to anyone but Big Bidness even if it would save us a lot of money.

If more businesses would do this it would make a difference.

Exelon deserves a big Thank You for this.

[Cha]

44. Who knew the US Chamber of Commerce would stay

in the dark ages? Not move forward with the times?

[Vidar]

47. Good.

[brentspeak]

48. The Anti-U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Working to crush American workers since God knows when.

[David Zephyr]

52. Another K to go with my previous R. John Rowe deserves a lot of credit and praise.

Thanks, kpete for this story!

[NNadir]

54. Exelon is the US's largest nuclear utility. This makes it the MOST committed to fighting climate

change and, most likely, the only utility that has a fighting shot at getting serious.

It is interesting that so many people who like to talk big about climate change are exactly the same people who rail insipidly against nuclear energy, in an anti-science fundementalist way.

[Mr. Sparkle]

58. Good on them. It is good to see that their still are some utilities with a conscience. n/t

[Joanne98]

59. Stock symbol EXC if anybody's interested.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=EXC

[DainBramaged]

62. Whole Foods Chairman and CEO Mackey COULD learn about corporate responsibility

from this guy, but he won't.

[earcandle]

65. God Bless America! Gopod be with us.

This is the first sign of wealth showing up for the good of
public interests (that means all of us).

That I know of.  Are there more I am missing?  Please link me
up.

I can spread good stuff around. 

[Canuckistanian]

66. The US COC is NOT your friend

The sooner you realize that, the better you are.

They are the definition of corporate America trying to redefine your life for their profit.

[BrklynLiberal]

67. One can hope taht this willl spell the end of the US COC...that rightwing tool..

[HughMoran]

68. Cof C shows the most lie-filled right-wing ads I've ever seen

They should be kicked to the curb as another RW nut-job organization. I personally think they should be destroyed in every way possible based on the disgusting awful lies they ran last election cycle and the previous one.

[SlingBlade]

71. Great, And hopefuly one more case

of history that will prove Re-pukes were again on the wrong side of the issue

[pleah]

75. K&R

[scentopine]

76. some energy cos see opportunity in global warming...

especially in form of govt. grants for upgrading old and inefficient equipment that is digging into maintenance budgets. Pollution in all its forms is getting harder and harder to hide as technology can pin point the source. There are new industry incentives being planned for R&D in alternative sources, etc.

Let's see if the cars for clunkers program get's extended in scope. However, the model might not scale well to power plants and all the greed, corruption and graft associated with energy CEOs and their executives.

Have you ever been to a chamber meeting? Its like a cross between NRA gun nuts, PTA moms with bibles and a few unsuspecting small business owners who think that the chamber is going to help them like a trade union for business until he finds out that the chamber is lobbying congress for incentives to help walmart put small business out of business.

[Autonomy]

77. Wow, the title led me to the wrong conclusion

I assumed that it was the business that was in climate denial. I am impressed by Exelon on this matter. Companies that have incorporated climate change into their business models will be the leaders in the next generation of business.