Exelon Chairman and CEO John W. Rowe has announced that the Chicago-based utility will not be renewing its membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce due to the organization's opposition to climate legislation.
‘The carbon-based free lunch is over,’ says Rowe. ‘But while we can't fix our climate problems for free, the price signal sent through a cap-and-trade system will drive low-carbon investments in the most inexpensive and efficient way possible.’
According to the New York Times, Exelon is the third utility to leave the chamber because of its opposition to the climate bill. San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) and New Mexico-based utility PNM Resources have also announced that they will leave the chamber.
Last week, PG&E posted part of a letter written by the utility's chairman and CEO, Peter Darbee, who cited ‘fundamental differences’ over climate change to explain why the company is pulling out of the organization, despite the chamber's ‘long history as a positive force for America's businesses and its economy.’
The letter criticized the chamber for taking an extreme position on climate change, which Darbee said does not represent the range of views among chamber members. In particular, he took the chamber to task for its recent demand that there be a trial to challenge the science on climate change.
‘We find it dismaying that the chamber neglects the indisputable fact that a decisive majority of experts have said the data on global warming are compelling and point to a threat that cannot be ignored,’ Darbee wrote. ‘In our opinion, an intellectually honest argument over the best policy response to the challenges of climate change is one thing; disingenuous attempts to diminish or distort the reality of these challenges are quite another.’
SOURCES: Exelon Corp., Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
