Duke Energy Quits The Right-Wing National Association Of Manufacturers Over Differences On Climate Policy
Duke Energy Quits The Right-Wing National Association Of Manufacturers Over Differences On Climate Policy
The National Association of Manufacturers is a right-wing trade organization that refuses to address — or even acknowledge — man-made global warming. Last month, it protested the EPA’s decision to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, stating that the “clean air laws” are supposed to only focus on “local pollutants.” It has also funded climate change denier groups and heavily lobbied against any efforts to curb emissions.
The organization’s resistance to change is getting to be too much for its members. Today, Bloomberg reports that Duke Energy Corp., which owns utilities in the Southeast and Midwest, announced that it won’t be renewing its membership with NAM, in part because of NAM’s refusal to address global warming:
“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 last month in an interview. 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.”
Charlotte, North Carolina-based Duke is a founding member of the United States Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of business and environmental groups that seeks to influence legislation on greenhouse gases linked to global warming. The National Association of Manufacturers has opposed mandatory controls, arguing they will harm the economy.
A Duke spokesman also said that the company would like to see cap-and-trade legislation “happen this year if possible.”
Duke isn’t the only corporation that is being frustrated that trade organizations — such as NAM and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — are refusing to address global warming. Some other examples:
– Thirty-two corporations — including Duke, 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.
– 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.”
– 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.”
In response to Duke’s newest announcement, NAM simply told Bloomberg that it has a “balanced policy on climate change.”
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This is great news….lets see which corporations are progressive and care for the future of the enviroment and which are profit pigs who do not care about our children and the enviroment!!!!
The public is taking notice, National ASS’ES OF Manufacturing.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:31 pmDuke Energy Quits The Right-Wing National Association Of Manufacturers Over Differences On Climate Policy
– - Nice to see Mortimer and Randolph aren’t complete a-holes anymore.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:34 pmPlease notice that News Corp is also a member of that group. Despite the positions often put forth on Fox News, Rupert Murdoch and News Corp are actually quite progressive when it comes to implementing environmentally progressive policies.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:35 pmBut but but Limbaugh says the GnOPe has to ‘learn’ people of the troof of the Obama cap and trade plan…?
May 8th, 2009 at 3:37 pmImagine that, fibbing to the base…who’da thunkit?
May 8th, 2009 at 3:39 pmSure wish I could believe that big corps have a change of heart and not just that they want inclusion into the new administration’s clean agenda. Anyone have a list of the ones contributing to bush’s library ?
May 8th, 2009 at 3:40 pmImagine that, fibbing to the base…who’da thunkit?
pandering for profit= capitalism! hooray!
May 8th, 2009 at 3:41 pmDUKE: I’m not gonna quit ya. (pause) I’m not gonna quit ya. (pause) The hell I’m not!
May 8th, 2009 at 3:43 pmWait a minute, that’s the parent company to Faux Noise
May 8th, 2009 at 3:45 pmYa know, I was just wondering what News Corp manufactures that would create CO2…so they must be planning on the speculation of the CO2 commodity for profit while telling their viewers they are against Obamas cap and trade and how it will cost them thousands a year and never mind that N-U-T from M-I-T…vote GnOPe!
May 8th, 2009 at 3:50 pmLOL! Now Big Business is turning on Big Business? My head is spinning. I thought that with the trade caps, the seven plagues would devour the Earth and America would fall asunder. I guess I watch too much faux News.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:51 pmXisithrus, my point is that Fox News =/= equal News Corp total. Not by a long shot. 24 was the first carbon neutral television show, and News Corp has a stated corporate goal of being carbon neutral by 2010.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:57 pmCompared to what? The flat earther’s policy on roundness?
May 8th, 2009 at 4:16 pmHallux Valgus Says:
Xisithrus, my point is that Fox News =/= equal News Corp total. Not by a long shot. 24 was the first carbon neutral television show, and News Corp has a stated corporate goal of being carbon neutral by 2010.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
___________
I do have to wonder how much of this is philosophical and how much is profit-minded. News Corp sees the potential profitability of carbon trading and energy efficiency, while Fox News panders to a science-denier audience base by railing against climate science and cap-and-trade. Looks to me like they’re just hedging their bets – either way they stand to make money.
May 8th, 2009 at 4:18 pmI was amazed to see Dow Corp as part of those going along wiht cap and trade as well as News Corp.
“While some energy producers and manufacturers oppose any federal action to cap carbon dioxide emissions, at least 35 major corporations — including Johnson & Johnson and Nike — have joined coalitions designed to push federal climate change legislation.”
Johnson & Johnson have been using methane gas from a dump to fuel their energy needs. Thank God some of these corps are actually enlightened enough to realize the damage so many have done for years. And ‘good on Duke’ for standing up to the Chamber. To see that Duke’s stock rose as a result of their dropping out of NAM is a terrific thing as it means more and more people are realizing that climate change is REAL despite what the GnoPE’s state.
May 8th, 2009 at 4:21 pmI would have never thought I would see the day! Miracles can happen.
May 8th, 2009 at 4:32 pmExxxactly, now how long till FAUX watchers realize the pundits are giving them the views they want is the question
May 8th, 2009 at 4:40 pmI do have to wonder how much of this is philosophical and how much is profit-minded. News Corp sees the potential profitability of carbon trading and energy efficiency, while Fox News panders to a science-denier audience base by railing against climate science and cap-and-trade. Looks to me like they’re just hedging their bets – either way they stand to make money.
from an overarching News Corp perspective, this is not simply about profitability:
http://www.newscorp.com/energy/
I’ll lay it out thee- I work for News Corp, and part of my job relates to being environmentally friendly. I’ve spent 6 weeks evaluating trash bags in an effort to find the most compostable product. It is terribly dull, but our company feels it is important, and so I do it. We offer financial incentives for buying hybrid vehicles and encourage flex schedules, which cuts down on pollution. We absolutely take pride in our Global Energy Initiative.
I don’t like everything that our company does, but neither should an MSNBC employee be proud of GE’s involvement with the defense industry. It’s stupid for talk show hosts on both sides to talk about corporate stock prices and profits as though these are political talking points. They aren’t. We are not a vehicle for right wing politics. We are a vehicle for profits. Fox News found a niche market that caters to an under served constituency. That’s the nature of corporate capitalism. I don’t agree with it, but I’d sure as hell like to see a group like CAP acknowledge that this isn’t a black and white/ good versus evil issue. The right Wing scream Machine fails because it believes everyone is wearing a black hat or a white hat. Progressives have succeeded by acknowledging shades of grey. We have come to power because we have been effective in expressing nuance.
Last week, Barney Frank was on real time talking about kicking the moderates out of the Democratic party, which is a terrible idea. Everyone and every idea is not a good versus evil idea. News Corp is not terrible. GE is not great, despite the Hannity/ Maddow mouth pieces. I would love to see Think Progress acknowledge that.
May 8th, 2009 at 4:48 pmHistorically, for over a 100 years or for however so long the NAM has been in operation, you could always tell the right direction to go in by first seeing where NAM was heading and then going in the other way.
They’re like a reverse weather vane. Worst lobbyists ever. Always in favor of the wrong people.
May 8th, 2009 at 4:50 pmI don’t wish to sound cynical but, there is now a financial incentive to stop obstructing environmental legislation. With the economic collapse, the obscene profits of oil/energy trading are in jeopardy. When the old cash cow shows signs of dropping dead, it’s time to start innovating.
May 8th, 2009 at 4:58 pmThe reality of free energy goes mainstream. On April 19, 2009 CBS’ 60 Minutes broadcasted a segment on Cold Fusion. Not only do they speak optimistically, they also state the Pentagon verified the free energy claims! The MUST SEE CBS video and article are linked below:
Cold Fusion Is Hot Again
60 Minutes: Once Considered Junk Science, Cold Fusion Gets A Second Look By Researchers
Some may claim Cold Fusion not viable due to the need of the rare metal palladium. But this 1993 news segment with Dr Eugene Mallove talks of using nickel, a much cheaper metal.
See the *Suppression by Murder* section in the following article for information on Dr Eugene Mallove:
The 9/11 Truth Movement, Free Energy Suppression, and the Global Elite’s Agenda
May 8th, 2009 at 5:17 pmThirty-two corporations — including Duke, 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.
Isn’t it ironic that News Corp is among the businesses that are for cap-and-trade, yet Fox Noise rallies against Global Warming and cap-and-trade and how it will hurt business.
May 8th, 2009 at 5:30 pmThis, I believe, is the sole reason for the oil conglomerate’s (and their various and multiple surrogates) campaign to deny Global Warming:
It is simply a well-heeled gambit to buy time for the alleged previously unavailable oil and gas reserves to be accessible.
These oil corporations are fiddling with the science while the Arctic burns…
May 8th, 2009 at 5:38 pmKudos to Duke Energy — let’s hope we see much more of this.
May 8th, 2009 at 6:08 pmGeez the writing on the wall must be in bold letters finally….
May 8th, 2009 at 6:51 pmWhy doesn’t the “right” understand, that if the world is boiling all the resorts will be closed and they won’t have a place to spend their money?
First of all, calling NAM a “right wing” organization is ASSININE. Second, it really is no surprise companies are embracing “cap and tax” because they are not stupid – they know if they don’t they will be KILLED in the media and by brute government force. It’s just GODD BUSINESS.
Now trade associations of chambers of commerce are another matter. Their purpose is to look out for the best business interests of their members. Too bad a number of companies aren’t listening to NAM. I think they may be slitting their own throats.
May 8th, 2009 at 7:44 pmRemember one thiung: YOU and I are the one who will pay for this “cap and tax” nonsense, NOT the companies ultimately.
May 8th, 2009 at 7:47 pmOnce again, Timmeh. Got a source for your bold proclamations?
May 8th, 2009 at 8:14 pmYa know how we will pay for it, Timmeh? We consumers will pay for it by purchasing greener products and energy. These purchases will fuel whole new industries and, finally, usher in the 21st Century. Not to mention restoring the worlds economy to health.
May 8th, 2009 at 8:17 pmHello? Timmeh? You know how much I love this subject. Aren’t you going to engage in a conversation?
May 8th, 2009 at 8:19 pmAw crap. Domestic emergency. Bye.
May 8th, 2009 at 8:24 pmdamn. now, that’s some change we can believe in. when the big ENERGY companies begin abandoning the repukes, you know you can stick a fork in them.
just, damn.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:14 amin 2004 NAM supported the farthest right candidates in Ohio like Ken Blackwell and the disgraced Bob Ney.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:20 pmseslichat
May 10th, 2009 at 11:35 pmsesli chat
sesli sohbet
tiffany rings?
May 11th, 2009 at 4:44 amtiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
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tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
This comes as no suprise to me. If we don’t stop ignoring the climate changes and focus on new forms of alternative energy
May 11th, 2009 at 1:19 pmwe will pay for it in the future. However, it’s not just the obvious forms of alternative energy we should only focus on.
I just saw an amazing report on new research in Cold Fusion energy. They highlighted a company called Energetics Technologies based here in the US. Here is a link to their website. http://www.energeticstechnologies.com. Maybe this could be the answer we need.