adam.beitman@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Change the Chamber, a coalition of over 100+ student groups from across the country, supported by over 25 organizations including Public Citizen, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and the Sierra Club, sent a letter calling on corporations to leave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce unless the nation’s largest business lobbying group takes meaningful steps to end their climate hypocrisy and cease their destructive pro-fossil fuel lobbying.
“The U.S. Chamber continues to use its political influence to promote public policy on climate issues that, if adopted, will contribute to catastrophic levels of climate change,” the coalition states in the letter, citing the urgency of the climate crisis and how the Chamber’s obstructionist position on the climate crisis will have catastrophic effects the business sector.
In the first quarter of 2021 alone, the U.S. Chamber has actively worked to obstruct climate solutions by supporting lawsuits on behalf of polluters; partnering with the fossil fuel industry to criticize the needed pause on drilling on federal public lands; and continues to lobby against science-based emission targets.
“Companies and brands that fund obstructionist lobbying groups in this ‘decade of action’ will likely become objects of public ire for the oncoming trauma resulting from climate change,” the coalition warned, as they urge corporate members to demand better from the Chamber.
In their letter, the groups call on corporate members of the U.S. Chamber to take the following steps:
- Publicly state the climate policy misalignment between their company and the U.S. Chamber, as well as the reasons why.
- Request a meeting with U.S. Chamber leaders, including the CEO and chief policy officer, to express their concern with the Chamber’s climate stances and ask them to support the suite of public policies recommended by the B-Team, a collective of corporate leaders.
- Be clear that if the Chamber fails to implement climate policy changes, their company will quit its membership.
Read the letter here.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.