U.S. Chamber Of Commerce: Half Pregnant On Global Warming?
(AP)
A couple of weeks ago, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was the object of a hoax when environmentalists held a fake press conference in Washington D.C. supposedly announcing the organization's about face on climate regulation. (A representative from the real chamber showed up to set the pranksters straight.)
The chamber has opposed both the cap-and-trade climate bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier in the year and has objected to plans by the Environmental Protection Agency's to more closely regulate greenhouse gases.
But the real Chamber of Commerce late today published a letter that it sent to Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the ranking members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee — which pledged the organization's " continued support for strong federal climate change legislation."
The letter urges consideration of a "different approach" in a bid to break a logjam that has prevented the Congress from passing substantive climate legislation.
"The challenge of drafting comprehensive climate legislation is not "whether" to do something, but "how." There are many good ideas out there that can serve as a solid, workable, commonsense and realistic foundation on which to craft a bill. The Chamber commends Senators Kerry and Graham for their recent New York Times editorial on the need for comprehensive climate legislation. The Chamber welcomes the call for a new conversation on how to address the issue, and believes their editorial can serve as a solid, workable, commonsense foundation on which to craft a bill."
A case of born again greens taking over this bastion of American capitalism? Not quite. Also, from the letter:
"The Chamber will continue to oppose bad policies that resemble the failed climate proposals of the past, such as bills that jeopardize American jobs, create trade inequalities, leave open the Clean Air Act, open the door to CO2-based mass tort litigation, and further hamper the permitting process for clean energy. But the chamber believes Senators Kerry, Graham, and the other named Senators have taken a constructive and positive stand on global climate change and energy security, rising above partisan politics and opening a real discussion on how to address this important issue."
That was a polite way to straddle the fence but it still seems to mark movement in the chamber's thinking. The organization has been on the PR defensive ever since its anti-climate legislation stance led several companies, including Apple, PG&E Corp., Exelon Corp. and PNM Resources to announce they were quitting the chamber.
Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
Frankly, I don't see Americans supporting cap-and-trade or any CO2 regulation until we have our own 'Climate Truth Commission.' ...and no longer rely upon the climate opinions of the United Nations. The UN is a biased political organization whose climate forecasts haven't proven prescient. The United States needs our own objective, transparent climate commission to think-through global warming.
-- Robert Moen, www.energyplanUSA
Global climate change is the ultimate equalizer and if we ignore it, it will cost us trillions and trillions of dollars. It won't matter if we have health care or are occupying foreign countries anymore. The disaster will be all that matters.