The biggest U.S. manufacturers' alliance has gone from being a ferocious critic of global warming legislation to being a quiet observer in recent months, even as debate about Senate climate legislation increasingly focuses on global trade issues and jobs. Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
Deep but scattered in some parts. A triage of information didn't seem to take place in this article. This only implies why NAM has fallen silent on climate change legislation (now moot since the Senate's postponed debate until spring) when it should have sought something more definitive. There's plenty about why they're opposed to the House bill, but I wonder if ClimateWire even asked some of its sources why NAM won't take a stance on the Senate version. The article hints that it's about self-preservation, but it's midway through the second page.
Like the chamber, NAM was an outspoken critic of legislation that would cap carbon dioxide emissions and establish a national program for trading pollution allowances. Both spent millions of dollars in the summer on lobbying, advertising campaigns and position papers opposing climate legislation, saying it would be too costly for the nation’s industrial sector and would mean millions of job losses. NAM spent $6 million in the third quarter, and the chamber spent $34 million in the same period.
