Strong national legislation will curb climate change, strengthen our economy, create jobs and make our country more secure. Opponents of energy and climate legislation are spreading misinformation using front groups for the coal industry and even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Companies that support strong climate legislation are objecting to its obstructionist tactics and resigning from the U.S. Chamber in droves. They know that strong climate and energy legislation will generate jobs and make the U.S. a world leader in green technologies.
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The coal industry includes companies that profess to support climate legislation but are in fact operating behind the scenes in “stealth mode” to deny climate science and thwart needed action on climate change. Consider two of the coal companies that...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Things are looking up for the political fortunes of the climate bill. Senators Kerry, Graham and Lieberman are moving ahead with their climate bill framework. With Congress heading into what looks like the home stretch on health care, space for other priorities...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
A fascinating story from the National Journal's Under the Influence Blog: Health Insurers Funded Chamber Attack Ads. The Journal's Peter Stone writes that "funds were solicited by AHIP and funneled to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help underwrite tens...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
This past year was filled with internal strife and embarrassment at the US Chamber of Commerce. The business group faced serious criticism, from many angles, that undermined its credibility, not the least being its obstructionist stance on clean energy and...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Just before Thanksgiving, the Aspen Chamber of Commerce and Resort Association (the Aspen Chamber) passed a resolution stating the local Chamber "opposes the lobbying activities and current advertising campaign" of US Chamber of Commerce on climate issues. As the Aspen Times reported, The...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
First there supposedly were 3 million U.S. Chamber of Commerce members. Then, that number was debunked and the Chamber clarified that it really only has 300,000 members. Now, we find out there may be a whole lot fewer that count...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Another local Chamber of Commerce has publicly distanced itself from the US Chamber of Commerce's position on climate policy. The President and CEO of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce posted an open letter to his members on his Chamber's "News"...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The US Chamber's extreme position on climate has been drawing fire for a long time, and dissatisfaction with the US Chamber is growing as more and more businesses say that the Chamber doesn't represent them on climate and other issues. ...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The US Chamber's recently exposed interest in commissioning a study to put health reform in a bad light isn't the first time the federation has shown its willingness to trumpet questionable analyses about proposals it doesn't like. Heck, the US...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Looks like we'll have to add a new category to our US Chamber Climate Credibility Crisis Counter (honk if you love alliteration.) As the Wall Street Journal recently reported, Duke Energy has cut the electric utility's contributions to the Chamber...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
John Broder has an illuminating story in today's New York Times "Storm Over the Chamber" discussing the US Chamber of Commerce's climate crisis and how Mr. Donohue's style exacerbates it. Tellingly, the story begins with an anecdote that suggests where...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Coal companies and the nation's biggest railroad association accounted for fifty percent of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity's (ACCCE) $47 million budget in 2008, according to ACCCE's tax return, E&E News reports today. Yowza! Arch Coal, Peabody and...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The US Chamber seems to be going to great lengths these days persuade Congress that it really wants to help pass climate legislation. But a very different message is coming through its blogs, tweets and unscripted comments. We think everyone...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Global warming is a complex subject, but NRDC's own President Frances Beinecke has nailed the essentials in a highly-readable and compelling little book called Clean Energy Common Sense: An American Call to Action on Global Climate Change. In just 99...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
It is hard to beat the US Chamber's tin ear when it comes to climate change, but I have to hand it to ACCCE - they have managed, once again, to put themselves at the head of the "blundering boob...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The US Chamber would like you to know that it hasn't changed its position on climate, no matter what its recent letter to the Hill might have implied. According to a fresh blog post by Bruce Josten, the letter's author,...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Curbing Pollution
Yesterday's news that clean energy and climate legislation moved out of the EPW committee was a welcome development. Even though a number of opponents of action decided to sit out the vote, there's plenty of support for moving a bill...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Yesterday the US Chamber sent a letter to Senators Boxer and Inhofe about the climate bill. It seemed to be singing a new tune on climate policy, leading Senator Kerry to wonder whether the letter reflects a real change in...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The US Chamber's penetrating Facebook poll on current public policy issues - Which piece of legislation is worse? - The Health Care Reform Bills including a government-run plan - The Climate Change Bill (Waxman-Markey Bill) - Other has brought to mind some additional...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
If there is a contest for dumbest poll question someone could post on their Facebook page, I'm pretty sure the US Chamber of Commerce has just won it. What's the question? As found on the Chamber's Facebook page, Which piece...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Reuters is reporting that Cisco Systems says it disagrees with the US Chamber's position on climate. This week two of the lobbying group's most powerful members, the conglomerate General Electric Co and the telecommunications equipment provider Cisco Systems Inc told...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Recently, when someone talks about the US Chamber of Commerce using words and phrases like "false," "dishonest," "blatant distortions," "the Chamber dishonestly portrays our position," "indifferent to the truth," "hostile to the business community," we've come to expect that yet another US...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
More companies are going on the record to make clear that the US Chamber of Commerce's position on climate does not represent their views. On Friday, Politico reported that NRG decided against joining the US Chamber because of its "extreme"...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
New revelations in the US Chamber Climate Credibility Crisis continue to demonstrate that the US Chamber's problems are of its own making, notwithstanding its attempts to blame environmentalists and anyone else it can think of. Last Friday (sorry for the...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
With more voices saying clearly that US Chamber of Commerce does not represent them, the Chamber's membership numbers are looking more and more questionable. Businesses in Colorado and Wisconsin are speaking up to say the US Chamber does not represent...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
You know the US Chamber of Coal (sorry, "Commerce") must be getting desperate for good-will ambassadors when it has to deploy Don "I'll Shoot You" Blankenship to defend its extremist rhetoric on climate change and policy. Yes, this is the...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The Washington Times is reporting that yet another front-group is on the climate scene, saying A new advocacy group seeking to expose what it says will be the high cost of climate-change legislation to consumers is spreading its message with...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The National Association of Manufacturers, another powerful association representing narrowly focused interests, ramped up its lobbying during the 3rd quarter by more than 500%. NAM's lobbying expenditures went from $960,000 during the first quarter of 2009 to $1,050,000 for the...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The Associated Press is reporting that Mohawk Paper quits US Chamber over climate stance ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Mohawk Fine Paper is joining a growing number of companies quitting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over climate change policies. The Cohoes,...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The US Chamber's Credibility Crisis deepened Monday as the federation's extremist position on climate change further eroded its credibility and influence, made it the object of a prank news event and highlighted the US Chamber's hypocrisy on the climate issue....continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Third quarter lobby disclosure reports are in and the US Chamber of Commerce reports spending $34,690,000 during the 3rd quarter of 2009. That's more than quadruple its 2nd quarter lobbying spending and more than triple its 1st quarter lobbying spending. The...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Mother Jones' Josh Harkinson reports: Political disagreements with the US Chamber of Commerce have prompted the San Francisco Chamber to drop out of a program that automatically enrolled many of its members in the national group. "Given the controversy over the...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
"It's been a lousy week for Tom Donohue and his pals over at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce," writes Steven Pearlstein's in the Washington Post today. Donohue and the US Chamber have been working to raise money to finance a...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The flow of companies distancing themselves from the US Chamber's extremist positions on climate isn't slowing down. Today, E&E News' Michael Burnham reports, Royal Dutch Shell PLC Chairman Jorma Ollila said today that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce does not...continued→
Posted by Laurie Johnson in Solving Global Warming
In testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday, director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Douglas W. Elmendorf, testified that climate change legislation passed by the House last June (the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES),...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Interesting developments from the North Star state: Apparently, some Minnesota businesses don't agree with the Chamber's position on climate any more than some Fortune 500 companies do. As Minnesota Public Radio reports, Some Minnesota businesses are opposing the U.S. Chamber...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
What with all the companies bailing out of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its extremist views on climate legislation and clean energy jobs - and new pressure mounting for even more defections - we'd almost forgotten about the implosion...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Josh Harkinson at Mother Jones notes that the US Chamber is now saying it has 300,000 member, not 3,000,000 as its been claiming recently. As Josh reports: A day after Mother Jones exposed the US Chamber of Commerce's inflated membership...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
If the media briefing late last week before Columbus Day was supposed to make things better for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the face of an onslaught of major defections over its climate extremism, well, let's put it this way: ...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Mother Jones' Josh Harkinson has been looking into the US Chamber's claims to have 3 million members, one it has been invoking more frequently since it has come under increasing attack from companies that disagree with the Chamber's position. As...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Enviroknow reports today that Toyota issued a statement in response to the controversy over the US Chamber's position on climate policy, saying that: "Toyota is a member of a wide array of groups and organizations. Our association with these groups...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The high-profile departures from the US Chamber because of its extremist stance on climate, the strong criticism from its own former members and the Chamber's tone-deaf response to the situation are contributing to reputational damage that is hurting the organization's...continued→
Posted by NRDC News in The Media and the Environment
In the San Francisco Chronicle Pete Altman discussed how defections from the US Chamber of Commerce have eroded the organization’s credibility… The Outpost blog in the LA Times reported on NRDC’s criticism of Montana’s backcountry wolf hunt, quoting Matt Skoglund...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
A week or so ago I satirized the ridiculous insistence by the US Chamber that Congress include other nations in its legislation if it wants the Chamber's support. Well, good news. The Chamber must've read my post (that, or they...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
US Chamber CEO Tom Donohue insisted today that despite the growing controversy around his organization's position on climate, the New York Times reports: "We're not changing where we are...We've thought long and hard about what is important here and we're...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
According to Chamber CEO Tom Donohue, at least. In a private meeting with a handful of reporters, Politico reports that: "He blamed the resignations on an "orchestrated pressure campaign" by environmental groups, refusing to name specific organizations at fault. Thanks for...continued→
Posted by Noah Long in Solving Global Warming
Last month the California Public Utilities Commission quietly approved the largest state investment in energy efficiency on record. The $3.1 billion dollar investment will prevent the construction of 3 large power plants, save California customers billions of dollars, and take a big step towards reducing...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The Chamber has repeatedly claimed that it sets climate policy through its 'democratic' committee process, as the Chamber's Eric Wohlschlegel told the New York Times yesterday: "It's an open and voluntary process, and it's formulated by a majority of our...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
To draw attention to our new website http://www.whodoesthechamberrepresent.org/, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Action Fund are launching a targeted online ad campaign. The ads ask, "Why Are American Companies Leaving the Chamber?" and direct people to the...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Yet another company has stated that the Chamber does not represent its views on climate. As Grist reported Microsoft's Rob Bernard wrote in an e-mail that "The views expressed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce do not reflect Microsoft's position...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Yesterday, I noted that the Times picked up a terrific Greenwire story by Anne Mulkern on how the Chamber makes policy decisions. Looks like the Chamber decided to try to put this one to rest by posting their policies online...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Apparently the US Chamber is not really into criticism, judging from the letter Chamber President Tom Donohue sent to Apple today in response to Apple's decision to quit the Chamber. And apparently the US Chamber is a little mixed up...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The New York Times is delving into a question on more and more minds of the US Chamber of Commerce's members: Who is actually making the policy decisions at the US Chamber? This must-read story by Greenwire's Anne Mulkern is...continued→
Posted by NRDC News in The Media and the Environment
David Pettit spoke about some of the successes of the Green LA project and explained why the program should be emulated elsewhere in the LA Times... The Christian Science Monitor, The Associated Press and more than 50 other print and...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Per Kate Galbraith at the NYTimes Green Inc. blog, Apple issued a letter today saying: "We strongly object to the chamber's recent comments opposing the E.P.A.'s effort to limit greenhouse gases...Apple supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and it is frustrating...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Last week Tom Donohue, the US Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, declared that "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce continues to support strong federal legislation ... to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change." Which made us wonder. If the...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
It looks like more people are wondering how Tom Donohue manages his dual identities: His day job is to run the US Chamber of Commerce, and he has part-time work as a member of the Board of Directors of Union Pacific. As Ben...continued→
Posted by David Doniger in Solving Global Warming
Today the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to curb carbon pollution from big power plants and other big polluters under the Clean Air Act, while at the same time assuring the millions of mom and pop businesses across the country...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Another company has joined the procession of firms distancing themselves from the US Chamber of Commerce's position on climate change, making it clear that the Chamber does not represent its views. General Electric told Politico that: "We're a member of...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
This just in: Nike announces it is resigning from the US Chamber Board of Directors. I guess the Chamber's desperate attempt to persuade the public and its members of an alternative reality in which the Chamber champions climate legislation didn't...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
I couldn't help wonder what kind of stories the Chamber hoped to generate with the statement it issued earlier today. So I leaned back, closed my eyes, and used my imagination: US Chamber Emerges as Unlikely Hero for Climate Protection;...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
More here on the U.S. Chamber statement released today. The Chamber claims that its critics were "dead wrong" in claiming that the Chamber denies climate change is a problem. Unfortunately for Mr. Donohue, this coverup is unmasked by his own paper trail. In a petition...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Just goes to show that the US Chamber isn't completely immune to the prospect of members putting on their walkin' shoes. Today, the Chamber "clarified" its position on climate change policy by issuing a statement, repackaged a page on its...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Word is just in that Exelon CEO John Rowe announced that Exelon will be leaving the US Chamber of Commerce. Exelon supports federal climate legislation, and joins PG&E and PNM Resources in leaving the US Chamber. Rowe made the announcement...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Last week's high-profile announcements of companies leaving the US Chamber and openly criticizing its stance on climate is feeding the news going into a new week. As Tom Friedman wrote on Sunday in a piece urging the U.S. to recognize we...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
PNM Resources has just updated its position regarding the US Chamber of Commerce: "At PNM Resources, we see climate change as the most pressing environmental and economic issue of our time. Given that view, and a natural limit on both company time and resources, we have...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
In yet another blow to the prestige and credibility of the US Chamber of Commerce, PNM Resources announced that it has given up its seat on the US Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and issued a statement criticizing the...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Unlike fine wines, bad studies do not get better with age. That's why it's important to know the facts as the Institute for Energy Research, the Koch-Industries funded and former-Koch lobbyist-staffed front group founded by a former Enron executive, renews...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
More on the news that PG&E has abandoned the US Chamber over climate change policies. In a blog post on PGE's company blog, PG&E states: In a letter to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, PG&E Chairman and CEO Peter Darbee...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Hot News: PG&E is quitting the US Chamber of Commerce over the business federation's "extreme position on climate change." Coming just days after questions about potential conflicts of interest posed by Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue's service to Union...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Last week I raised questions about US Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue's potential conflict of interest on the subject of climate change because of his ties to giant coal transporter Union Pacific Railroad (UNP), which opposed the American Clean...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
UPDATE: Politico issued a correction to their initial take on this, noting (as we do) that the spin is far greater than the actual content of the memo. The clean-energy opponents at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) are back from...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The American Wind Energy Association weighed in with general comments and an excellent point-by-point response to the "Danish" study on wind power, which I've blogged on here and here, as has my colleague Succar Samir. As AWEA points out, the...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Why is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on such a different page from its major members when it comes to climate change legislation? Last spring we raised the question of who the US Chamber of Commerce is really representing when...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
From time to time a study comes out that is so bizarre, you just have to wonder "Did they really spend time working this out?" We come across plenty of studies that don't really make sense. Less often, we come across...continued→
Posted by Samir Succar in Solving Global Warming
This CEPOS study by Hugh Sharman about the Danish wind experience has begun to receive a great deal of attention. The study provides a great account of how the Nordic grid has been effectively used to manage the fluctuations from...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
We got word this afternoon that the Institute for Energy Research (IER), a polluter front-group, has released a study from CEPOS, a Danish think-tank, that claims to show that wind power's contribution to the power supply in Denmark is overstated. We...continued→
Posted by David Doniger in Solving Global Warming
Grrr... You can almost hear the teeth grinding in the editorial board room of the Wall Street Journal. That pesky EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has outfoxed us again! In an editorial called "Terms of 'Endangerment'" (hey, that was the title...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
You may already have seen the news that Duke Energy is pulling out of the increasingly controversial and troubled Americans Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE). But we are wondering: Was Duke the first cut the cord with Big Coal's...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Maybe they should start putting this warning label on the side of gasoline pumps: WARNING - THE OIL INDUSTRY LIES TO YOU EVERY CHANCE IT GETS. The latest example: The American public is getting hosed by the oil industry with balderdash...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
As if the forged letters, fake constituents and fake citizen groups were not enough (and really, they are), the astro-turf is getting so sloppy that in some cases they aren't even bothering to provide convincing fakery. Take the "Energy Citizens"...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The Washington Post is reporting this morning that according to joint poll conducted with ABC News, a majority of Americans support Obama's and Congress' efforts to overhaul US energy policy, and that support includes passage of comprehensive climate and energy...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
We double-checked our calendar this morning to make sure that it wasn't April 1st. Even we would have given the U.S. Chamber of Commerce enough credit to think that it would not deliberately set itself up on the wrong side...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
As you know by now, the coal trade group that paid lobbyists who forged letters in opposition to the clean energy bill now before Congress have blamed the whole mess on an unnamed (and very convenient!) temporary worker. It's the...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
If lobbyists who are trying to kill green jobs and clean energy legislation in Congress don't seem fazed by the fact that their team members are forging letters to Congress on the issue, that's because phony campaign tactics like this...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Last week, climate bill opponents were caught red handed forging letters in order to whip up public opposition to green-jobs legislation now in Congress. This week, we were reminded that there is more than one kind of forgery when it...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Rachel Maddow covered the ACCCE letter forgery last night in a segment that also featured an interview with Virginia Rep. Tom Periello, one of the targets of the coal-industry funded letter scandal, notes Appalachian Voices. Worth watching for the recap of...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricty (ACCCE) has led efforts to perpetuate the myth that coal can be clean. Now it turns out they are responsible for forging opposition to a strong climate bill. According to E&E News, the American...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Remember that you heard it here first: We warned you in mid July about the right-wing nut groups trying to phony up a backlash against climate legislation pending in Congress. Now, Bonner & Associates - an Astroturf group that manufacturers...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The evidence that opponents of clean energy are using sleazy tactics, fueled by dirty money, is becoming more and more clear each day. Today's big news is reported by the Charlottesville Daily Progress, which reports that opponents of the ACES climate bill hired a...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
National Journal recently reported that Dick Armey's Freedomworks, Gary Bauer's Campaign for Working Families and the civil-rights-opposing John Birch Society staged e-mail campaigns to defeat the climate change bill, and are now using the issue to build thier email lists....continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
E&E News is reporting on lobbying and the climate bill, noting that Oil and Gas companies spent $37.7 in lobbying in the 2nd quarter Exxon Mobil spent $13.6 million alone. Environmental groups spent $5.3 million total. Now $37.7 to $5.3...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
So how much did opponents of the federal climate bill really spend in the run-up to the House vote last month? It is usually hard to tell, since the predominant reporting system is meant to capture only expenses incurred to directly...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
As I've previously blogged, the wing-nuts of the right have been throwing eggs at the climate bill. Then Soon-to-be-Former-Governor Sarah Palin remixed a number of tired talking points about the climate bill. The combination of which prompted an amusing little...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
It was a surprise when Sarah Palin announced that she would step down as Governor of Alaska. But it isn't so surprising that America's biggest quitter doesn't think Americans are up to the challenge of creating a clean energy economy...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
If you feel the ground shaking under your feet that is because the United States is about to be swallowed up into the bowels of Hell as the U.S. Senate takes up climate legislation. Or so Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh,...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
You have to hand it to the coal industry. They are not content to just spend millions of dollars on "wild and crazy" advertising claims about "clean coal." Now, they are bringing those same mad skills of deception to mapmaking. ...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Yesterday was a banner day for anyone keeping an eye on the US Chamber of Commerce's extraordinary capacity for willful ignorance of its own members' interests on energy and climate issues. The Chamber announced a $100 million campaign to defend...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
I and others have blogged about the "spanish jobs study" that trashes green jobs, and which the Minister of Innovation, Enterprise and Employment for the Navarre region in Spain has criticized. Now a Spanish Government official has outlined the Spanish government's rejection...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The transition to clean energy, reducing our dependence on dangerous foreign oil and protecting our environment will cost less than some would have you think. In April, the EPA estimated that the American Clean Energy and Security Act would cost...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The US Chamber of Commerce is famous for punishing officeholders and other political candidates who have the temerity to disagree with the Chamber's views. But what happens when the US Chamber's own members and affiliates reject its "predictably stalwart" opposition...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Desperation must be the message of the day over at the US Chamber, which has just revealed (spoiler alert!) that it opposes the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Which is interesting because only this morning the Chamber's Bruce Josten...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Remember that scene at the end of the 1970s horror movie classic "Carrie" where the girl goes to the cemetery and a hand pops up out of the grave and tries to pull her in? In the movie, it turns...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Not every blog should be set to music, but the "Walls Come Tumbling Down" by John Mellencamp seems like a suitable accompaniment for this one. So, turn up your speakers, click here and read on ... Even as Politico reported...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Here's our rule of thumb when it comes to America's emerging green economy. If David Kreutzer, the senior policy analyst in energy economics and climate change at the Heritage Foundation says it's bad, it's got to be a good thing....continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
For those following the fascinating career of the bogus "Spanish Study on green jobs," a letter from José María Roig Aldasoro, the Minister of Innovation, Enterprise and Employment for the Navarre region in Spain might be of interest. The minister says: "An article...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
When it comes to climate change policy, staff at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have reliably been the go-to voice for doomsayer and naysayers. But things got interesting today when it became clear that U.S. Chamber staff may not be...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
There's a new front-group running around DC, backed by some old gunslingers who've been packing heat for polluters for years. Yesterday the American Energy Alliance announced it is running radio ads in the districts of some of the members of...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Former U.S. House Speaker and supposed 2012 president candidate Newt Gingrich was up on Capitol Hill last week regaling elected officials with the supposed horrors of cap-and-trade carbon emissions controls. One particularly colorful anecdote didn't make his written statement, but it...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
When you've got a week packed full of intense hearings on climate policy its important to make sure to schedule in some comic relief. That seems a logical explanation for the appearance of three of the more prominent members of...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Curbing Pollution , Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Health and the Environment , Nuclear Weapons, Waste and Energy , Solving Global Warming
The US Chamber of Commerce has been drinking its own Kool-Aid again, and trying this time to get members of Congress to think it's green tea. The Chamber is attempting to convince policymakers that burdensome regulations are blocking clean energy...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Spain is a country known for its romance, wine and bullfighting. But when it comes to economics and green jobs, it seems we're getting more bull than much else. Our good friends at Media Matters jumped right on the case yesterday when Fox News cited a...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
I've blogged before about the dog and pony shows that some groups have been involved in to forecast economic disaster in the event Congress passes climate legislation. One study used to prop this point of view up was commissioned by...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
The Heritage Foundation is fooling itself again. In its latest insipid 'analysis' , author Nick Loris contends that cap and trade revenues are a "tax" that will force Americans to give up essentials like food, shoes or property taxes. (Psst....continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
It sure ain't the "death tax," but you have to give Rep. John Boehner points for using the phrase "light switch tax" in attacking cap-and-trade legislation. Of course, it would be nice if Boehner and Sen. Mitch McConnell weren't insisting...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Ever wonder why it's been so hard to pass climate change and clean energy legislation? By now, most Americans are aware that coal, oil and other members of the carbon club spend generously on top-dollar public relations and lobbying campaigns...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Most people haven't heard of economist Anne E. Smith or the consulting firm she works for, CRA International. But she is a favorite of the US Chamber of Commerce, which is working overtime to persuade Congress that taking on global...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
In Washington, you can tell always tell how bad things are for a politician or an interest group when they feel the need to brag about getting any good media coverage. When it comes to big coal and the utilities...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
It just goes to show you that even $10-20 million worth of advertising won't buy you love. --> The "clean coal" myth was swamped this December and January by the coal ash spills in Tennessee and Alabama. Here are just...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Ever since the 2008 presidential election boiled down to two candidates that favored action on climate change, the Heritage Foundation has been, well, freaking out about the increasing likelihood that the U.S. will undertake major action on global warming. Just...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Curbing Pollution , Environmental Justice , Solving Global Warming
As the New Year of 2009 dawns, the PR flacks charged with greenwashing coal's image must be praying for a fresh start. It's hard enough to fix up the image of the world's dirtiest energy source, without your clients finding...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
UPDATE: After taking too many lumps, ACCCE pulls plug on Coal Caroler campaign! See details. The latest attempt to soften coal's deadly, dangerous image has been drawing a lot of attention lately, and based on this ABC News story,...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Curbing Pollution , Solving Global Warming
By now, you've probably read about Massey Energy CEO and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Director Don Blankenship's now infamous November 20, 2008 speech in West Virginia. Several people - including NRDC's own Frances Beinecke - have expressed their views about...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
Coal-fired power plants really took it on the chin over the last seven days. "Wisconsin regulators say no to new power plant" was the big headline out of Wisconsin Tuesday. As the Associated Press reported: "State regulators have rejected a...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Curbing Pollution , Green Enterprise , Solving Global Warming
Over the last several months, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been holding "State Climate Dialogues" out in the states, ostensibly to "stimulate a national discussion on key climate change issues." These are much more monologue than dialogue though, and...continued→
Posted by Theo Spencer in Solving Global Warming
Anyone who was ever subjected to the crooner Pat Boone's ill-fated foray into covering metal music classics already has a pretty good idea of how painful it is to watch the U.S. Chamber of Commerce try to pose as an...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
It’s been a tough couple of months for the coal industry’s campaign to minimize concerns about global warming and hawk “clean coal.” Reports out of Denver indicate that the $2 million the industry – including the American Coalition for Clean...continued→
Posted by Pete Altman in Solving Global Warming
One of the ways to gauge how seriously Congress is talking about environmental issues is by watching how many industry front-groups pop up like weeds to try to choke off efforts to clean up the world around us. The weeds...continued→
The oil spewing into the Gulf threatens to become an unprecedented environmental disaster.
