Guardian Accuses Big Business of Undermining Biden’s $3.5 Trillion Climate Plan

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

Accountable.US has accused Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Disney of backing “shady groups” working to oppose President Biden’s $3.5 Trillion climate bill.

Apple and Disney among companies backing groups against US climate bill

Amazon and Microsoft also supporting groups fighting legislation despite promises to combat the climate crisis, analysis finds

Oliver Milman @olliemilman
Fri 1 Oct 2021 16.00 AEST

Some of America’s most prominent companies, including Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Disney, are backing business groups that are fighting landmark climate legislation, despite their own promises to combat the climate crisis, a new analysis has found.

A clutch of corporate lobby groups and organizations have mobilized to oppose the proposed $3.5tn budget bill put forward by Democrats, which contains unprecedented measures to drive down planet-heating gases. The reconciliation bill has been called the “the most significant climate action in our country’s history” by Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the US Senate.

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“Major corporations love to tell us how committed they are to addressing the climate crisis and building a sustainable future, but behind closed doors, they are funding the very industry trade groups that are fighting tooth and nail to stop the biggest climate change bill ever,” said Kyle Herrig, president of watchdog group Accountable.US, which compiled the analysis.

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“Hiding behind these shady groups doesn’t just put our environment at risk – it puts these companies’ household names and reputations in serious jeopardy,” Herrig said.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/01/apple-amazon-microsoft-disney-lobby-groups-climate-bill-analysis

The link on the Accountable.US website mostly just seem to reference the Guardian article.

The groups they’re talking about include the US Chamber of Commerce and Business Round Table, so some of the “shady groups” at least are not hollow front organisations.

Frankly I’m not sure what to make of this. Did someone in the Chamber of Commerce lose the memo?

Whatever the answer, I suspect the US climate scene is about to become a lot more complex.