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Coalition seeking carbon curbs nearly doubles membership |
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PepsiCo and General Motors Corp. are among 14 companies joining the
U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), a coalition of businesses and
environmental groups calling for a mandatory cap on U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions.
The coalition announced the addition today that includes American
International Group Inc., Alcan Inc., Boston Scientific Corp.,
ConocoPhillips, Deere & Co., Dow Chemical Co., Johnson &
Johnson, Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc., Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Siemens
AG, The Nature Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation.
Several companies, including AIG and Alcan, announced their participation in the coalition last month (Greenwire, April 26).
The 27-member coalition now has influential players within the
transportation, energy, agriculture, insurance and chemicals industries
as it calls on Congress to pass legislation that forces all sectors of
the ecomony to curb their emissions of carbon dioxide and other
Earth-warming gases over the next 50 years.
While USCAP has not publicly backed a specific bill on Capitol
Hill, the coalition's Call to Action supports a cap-and-trade system
phased in over several decades. The group also endorses emissions
offsets that allow industries to meet their requirements by funding
projects that avoid or soak up carbon emissions.
Tony Kreindler, a spokesman for USCAP member Environmental
Defense, said coalition officials will continue to brief Washington
lawmakers on the plan during the next few months.
"Clearly, at this point, it's up to Congress to act," Kreindler said.
Democratic congressional leaders have vowed to pass a mandatory
cap on emissions by the end of the year. However, chances of passage
are slim because of staunch opposition from the Bush administration and
Republicans in the closely divided Senate.
President Bush has said he supports a voluntary, market-based
approach to curbing greenhouse gas emissions so as not to harm the
economy.
But with collective revenues of $1.7 trillion and a work force
of more than 2 million, USCAP members believe they stand a strong
chance of a political breakthrough with the White House.
"We joined the group because we support its goal of a
mandatory national regulatory framework," ConocoPhillips Chairman and
CEO Jim Mulva said in a statement. "It is important that business,
government and nongovernmental organizations work together to devise
practical, equitable and cost-effective solutions to climate change."
Added Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris: "Climate change is real and the most urgent environmental issue our society faces."
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