The US Chamber of Commerce-fueled controversy over greenhouse gas emissions, which the Environmental Protection Agency has indicated it plans to regulate, proves that there is room for divergent opinions on environmental issues among US businesses (The New York Times).

While the EPA is asking businesses that emit the largest portion of greenhouse gasses to pay for the environmental costs (Science Daily) of potentially rising oceans and changing climate patterns, the Chamber claims that climate change regulation would stifle the economy and curb job growth at a time of global fiscal crisis. The business organization even indicated it might sue the EPA for its actions (US News).  

Many of the counter-arguments proposed by Chamber dissenters have to do with the stated need for incentives in creating a next-generation “green-collar” economy, as Exelon CEO John Rowe was quoted by the Guardian as saying:

Meanwhile, Chamber CEO Tom Donahue points to an already fragile economic recovery and asks how much more strain US businesses can shoulder (US News):

“The rat must smell the cheese [through incentives for green energy].”

What’s clear is that the Chamber has dug in for a protracted battle. The advocacy organization spent $71.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to $24 million during the same period of 2008, on lobbying for environmental and other concerns, according to a New York Times article.   

“Congress, the administration, and the states must recognize that our weak economy simply could not sustain all the new taxes, regulations, and mandates now under consideration. It’s a surefire recipe for a double-dip recession, or worse.”

  • The Cost of Climate Change (Natural Resources Defense Council)
  • Environmental Issues (US Chamber of Commerce)
  • Why global warming is good for business (CNN Money)

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