Chamber of Commerce Opposes Greenhouse Gas Regulations Despite Apple’s Recent Resignation

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce seems to be the last man standing, so to speak, against climate change legislation. Several corporations, including Exelon and Pacific Gas and Electric, have already resigned from the chamber in protest of the chamber’s policies on climate change. Now, Apple joins that list of companies.

Apple’s resignation is effective immediately. In a letter to Thomas J. Donahue, the President and CEO of the chamber, Apple’s president called the chamber’s opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to limit greenhouse gases “frustrating”.

The Chamber is virulently opposed to any regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. So much, in fact, that it has threatened litigation if the EPA moves forward with regulations to cut down greenhouse gas emissions. Mr. Donahue recently stated: “[w]e believe that Congress should set climate change policy through legislation, rather than having the EPA apply existing environmental statutes that were not created to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.” It seems that the chamber continues to ostracize itself simply to maintain its opposition to the EPA and its regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. Sadly, the chamber may risk losing all of its corporate members if it refuses to budge in response to changing attitudes about the climate crisis.