A few steps in the right direction
Duke Energy Corp., which owns utilities in the Southeast and Midwest, awhile back removed it's membership from NAM (national association of manufacturers):
“We are not renewing our membership in the NAM because in tough times, we want to invest in associations that are pulling in the same direction we are,” Duke Chief Executive Officer Jim Rogers said. "The association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Republicans ought to roll up their sleeves and get to work on a climate bill, but quite frankly, I don’t see them changing.”
Other companies who agree with Duke on a need to change:
- Thirty-two corporations - including Caterpillar, Xerox, News Corp, Dow Chemical, and PepsiCo - are members of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, which has called for a cap-and-trade system. Old but still relevant
- Businesses such as Johnson & Johnson and Nike have asked the Chamber of Commerce to refrain from publicly opposing cap and trade legislation because the position doesn’t “reflect the full range of views, especially those of Chamber members advocating for congressional action.” Same as a bove linkage
- Last year, a group of companies - including Starbucks, Nike and Sun Microsystems “banded together to urge Congress to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and promote investment in renewable energy.” The partnership, Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy, asked that “polluters be required to pay for the freedom to pollute and wants Congress to stimulate renewable energy development and ‘green’ job growth.”
Now Caterpillar is going even further. James Owens, who is the CEO of Caterpillar, was asked by Obama if "he saw a competitive disadvantage as a big manufacturer in dealing with energy reform." Owens' reply made me smile.
"I think we have the technology, we have the smarts here, and the product technologies, the economic incents of what’s needed. And that’s why I think of us in industry support a clarity around a carbon price, because that’s going to drive a lot of innovation and a lot of efficiency and will get with the program of reducing carbon emissions...giving the markets a price for carbon will help our country be more competitive using the technologies that are out there.” see the meeting here
NAM and other trade groups continue to lobby and fund ads opposing carbon emission reduction legislation, and I wonder how many companies will follow Duke on walking out to find Associations that agree on the need for better, greener tech.
“We are not renewing our membership in the NAM because in tough times, we want to invest in associations that are pulling in the same direction we are,” Duke Chief Executive Officer Jim Rogers said. "The association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Republicans ought to roll up their sleeves and get to work on a climate bill, but quite frankly, I don’t see them changing.”
Other companies who agree with Duke on a need to change:
- Thirty-two corporations - including Caterpillar, Xerox, News Corp, Dow Chemical, and PepsiCo - are members of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, which has called for a cap-and-trade system. Old but still relevant
- Businesses such as Johnson & Johnson and Nike have asked the Chamber of Commerce to refrain from publicly opposing cap and trade legislation because the position doesn’t “reflect the full range of views, especially those of Chamber members advocating for congressional action.” Same as a bove linkage
- Last year, a group of companies - including Starbucks, Nike and Sun Microsystems “banded together to urge Congress to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and promote investment in renewable energy.” The partnership, Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy, asked that “polluters be required to pay for the freedom to pollute and wants Congress to stimulate renewable energy development and ‘green’ job growth.”
Now Caterpillar is going even further. James Owens, who is the CEO of Caterpillar, was asked by Obama if "he saw a competitive disadvantage as a big manufacturer in dealing with energy reform." Owens' reply made me smile.
"I think we have the technology, we have the smarts here, and the product technologies, the economic incents of what’s needed. And that’s why I think of us in industry support a clarity around a carbon price, because that’s going to drive a lot of innovation and a lot of efficiency and will get with the program of reducing carbon emissions...giving the markets a price for carbon will help our country be more competitive using the technologies that are out there.” see the meeting here
NAM and other trade groups continue to lobby and fund ads opposing carbon emission reduction legislation, and I wonder how many companies will follow Duke on walking out to find Associations that agree on the need for better, greener tech.