Dissecting the Chamber's stance on climate policies

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Feb 16, 2023 View in browser   By Debra Kahn Presented by Panasonic The big picture InfluenceMap evaluated 39 of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's climate policy statements. | Courtesy InfluenceMap STIRRING THE CHAMBER POT — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce represents a diverse group of businesses, but its positions on climate policies mostly reflect the views of its fossil fuel members, the nonprofit group InfluenceMap finds in an analysis released Thursday. InfluenceMap, a think tank that monitors corporate climate lobbying, found 25 out of 39 policy positions the Chamber took on climate policy last year were negative — enough to earn it a score of E-, the same as the American Gas Association, Phillips 66 and Marathon Petroleum Corp. Other members scored way higher: Alphabet and Microsoft received grades of B+, PepsiCo and Amazon each got a B, and Ford, Meta, Pfizer, Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson got B-. ConocoPhillips and Rio Tinto received Ds, and Chevron got a D-. "Despite being a cross-sector group, the Chamber does not seem to adopt the positions of its numerous, highly positive members from other sectors beyond oil and gas," InfluenceMap said. Courtesy InfluenceMap   A message from Panasonic: Deepening our commitment to sustainability. Learn more about Panasonic’s green impact.   The report dinged the Chamber for opposing the Inflation Reduction Act, the SEC's proposed climate disclosure rules, tighter regulations on infrastructure projects, and state and federal emissions rules for trucks. It also gave the group low marks for supporting liquefied natural gas exports to Europe and permitting reform "with an unclear position" on how it might promote the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. InfluenceMap said the Chamber's positioning "suggests a continuing trend of positive PR from the Chamber to create the impression of reform for climate-conscious investors and corporate members." Chamber spokesperson Matt Letourneau pushed back, pointing out that the group opposed the IRA for its tax provisions, not its climate ones, and that it's already engaging with cleantech companies ahead of November's U.N. climate talks in the United Arab Emirates. “The report’s narrative is false and we are disappointed that the analysis ignored a plethora of Chamber efforts to advance climate solutions, including our support for legislation that advances nuclear energy, offshore wind, industrial decarbonization, and nature-based solutions," he said in an email. "We support policies that both strengthen energy security and promote climate solutions. It is not only possible to do both, it is necessary for our future.” The analysis highlighted one bright spot: The Chamber's consistent support for reducing hydrofluorocarbons, which are used as refrigerants and contribute to ozone depletion. Other than that, InfluenceMap found only six instances of positive engagement on climate policy last year, all high-level and in some cases contradicting other more-specific positions. For example, while the Chamber supported a "global methane pledge" at last year's U.N. climate talks to reduce emissions 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030, it pushed back on EPA's proposal to regulate methane from existing oil and gas operations. "It appears that the Chamber has adopted a tactic of issuing high-level, nominally positive statements on climate-related issues at the same time that it offers detailed opposition to relevant items of legislation and regulation," InfluenceMap said.   A message from Panasonic:   YOU TELL US GAME ON — Welcome to the Long Game, where we tell you about the latest on efforts to shape our future. 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