Businesses quit US Chamber over climate stance

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce calls itself the "voice of business," yet a growing number of companies from Apple to Exelon are saying it doesn't speak for them when it denies global warming and lobbies against climate change legislation.

On Tuesday, Mohawk Fine Paper, a privately-held paper manufacturer based in Cohoes, N.Y., joined Apple, Exelon, Pacific Gas and Electric and the Public Service Company of New Mexico in resigning membership in the chamber, which calls itself the world's biggest business federation representing more than 3 million member companies.

George Milner, Mohawk's vice president for environmental affairs, said it hurts the company's credibility as an advocate for environmental protection when it belongs to an organization that vigorously opposes action on climate change.

Mohawk, which sells a range of writing and printing papers, promotes itself as a leader in environmental stewardship. The company offsets all of its electricity with wind power renewable energy credits, offers Green Seal-certified recycled papers, and produces paper certified as using forest resources responsibly.

Last month, Nike, one of the founders of a business coalition whose goal is to "pass meaningful energy and climate change legislation," resigned from the chamber's board of directors to protest its stance. But Nike said it remains a member so it can work from within to promote climate change legislation.

The chairman of Exelon, the country's largest utility, says reducing carbon emissions through a cap-and-trade approach is the least expensive way to address global warming while sustaining an economic recovery. Speaking at a climate conference last week, CEO John Rowe said options like new nuclear plants, wind and solar cost much more than commonplace solutions like energy efficiency.

Criticism of the chamber's stance on climate change took an odd turn Monday when a group of pranksters called the Yes Men held a fake news conference, posing as chamber representatives at the National Press Club in Washington. They announced that the chamber had reversed its position on climate change and would stop lobbying against the Senate's 800-page climate bill.

In a statement denouncing the hoax, the chamber said it "believes that strong climate legislation is compatible with the goals of improving our economy and creating jobs."

A chamber spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday on Mohawk's decision.