Where We Stand On Climate Change

While health care continues to grab the lion's share of headlines, there's another major issue we can't afford to lose sight of—climate change. Last week, President Obama committed the United States to action during his remarks to the United Nations. Sens. Barbara Boxer and John Kerry are poised to unveil their plan to address climate change following the House's narrow passage of the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill earlier this year. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still threatening to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act if Congress doesn't act, an approach that almost everyone agrees could be a major disaster. And, of course, special interests continue to jockey for position and influence the debate.

With all of this going on, we want to take this opportunity to explain exactly where the U.S. Chamber stands on this important issue.

The U.S. Chamber continues to support strong federal legislation and a binding international agreement to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change. We believe that in order to succeed, any climate change response must include all major CO2 emitting economies, promote new technologies, emphasize efficiency, ensure affordable energy for families and businesses, and help create American jobs and return our economy to prosperity. Congress should carefully deliberate on and enact legislation that meets these goals.

We also have called upon the United States to join with other nations to negotiate a new international agreement that sets binding CO2 reduction commitments for each nation, while allowing each to devise its own best path to meeting its target.

These are mainstream, commonsense views that are shared by a broad majority of the American people, the business community, and a growing number of Democratic and Republican legislators.

Furthermore, we 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. This is also the stated position of the president and congressional leaders. EPA, if determined to proceed on its own, should publicly present its finding and answer questions on the limited studies it cited, in keeping with the president's pledge of transparency.

We oppose the Waxman-Markey bill because it is neither comprehensive nor international, and it falls short on moving renewable and alternative technologies into the marketplace and enabling our transition to a lower carbon future. It would also impose carbon tariffs on goods imported into the United States, a move that would almost certainly spur retaliation from global trading partners.

Some in the environmental movement claim that, because of our opposition to a specific bill or approach, we must be opposed to all efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, or that we deny the existence of any problem. They are dead wrong. The Chamber has in its public documents, Hill letters and testimony, as well as dozens of concrete policy recommendations, supported efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, while keeping our economy healthy.
 
We have vigorously supported the production and use of renewable and alternative energy. We have repeatedly supported tax incentives and credits, appropriations, and stimulus funding to promote the accelerated development of new technologies. We are leading the fight to clear the regulatory, legal, and Not In My Backyard roadblocks that are currently delaying promising wind, solar, nuclear, and other renewable or emissions-free energy projects across the nation.

In short, the Chamber believes in clean energy solutions and remains committed to a strong economy and a healthy environment.