New York Times Calls US Chamber of Commerce “Way Behind the Curve”

The Opinion page of the New York Times today takes on the US Chamber of Commerce for its stance on a federal climate change bill, saying “no organization in this country has done more to undermine such legislation.”

The Times piece continues: “In the last Congress, the chamber attacked the rather modest Lieberman-Warner bill, with a Harry-and-Louise-style commercial. This year, it testified against the House-passed bill limiting greenhouse gases, and it is almost sure to oppose a similar measure that will be introduced this week in the Senate.

“The chamber has now declared war on the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to use regulatory means to control emissions — beginning with one official’s ill-advised (and since apologized-for) demand for a ‘Scopes monkey trial’ questioning the science behind the agency’s preliminary finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health.”

The Chamber’s approach has led some members to quit the organization recently, including big utility companies Pacific Gas & Electric, PNM Resources and Exelon. Johnson & Johnson and Nike have also criticized the Chamber’s actions.

According to the Times, “These companies are members of the United States Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of businesses and environmental groups that early this year came up with a plan for limiting emissions that helped shape the House bill. They see a carbon-constrained world coming and want to get out ahead of the curve — not behind it like the chamber.”