ENVIRONMENT: RIGHT-WING TRADE GROUP TRYING TO CONCEAL ITS DENIAL OF CLIMATE CHANGE: The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), one of the "most aggressive business coalitions opposing legislation to address global warming," is suddenly trying to appear neutral on pending climate change legislation in the wake of recent opposition from members. Last week, Duke Energy Corporation announced that it will no longer be a member of NAM, a decision made in part because of NAM's staunch opposition to climate change legislation. While a spokesman for Duke Energy announced that the company would like to see cap-and-trade legislation "happen this year if possible," NAM has funded climate change denier groups and heavily lobbied against any efforts to curb emissions. Indeed, NAM "refuses to address -- or even acknowledge -- man-made global warming." However, NAM Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy Keith McCoy, expressed a change of tune in the organization's stance on climate change while speaking on Capitol Hill yesterday. Glossing over Duke Energy's recent departure from the coalition, McCoy said, "In terms of Waxman-Markey, I think it's clear in anything you've read that the NAM hasn't taken a position whetherfor or against it." This may indicate that Duke Energy's departure is part of a larger pattern of unrest over climate change in the business world. Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy, said that NAM, the 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." Duke Energy is not alone in this assumption, as 35 corporate members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, including Nike and Johnson & Johnson, have joined coalitions promoting climate change legislation. Further, these corporations have been outright critics of the Chamber's opposition to Waxman-Markey to the point of threatening to withhold dues until the Chamber's positions "reflect the full range of views, especially those of Chamber members advocating for congressional action."
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