U.S. business groups form multi-million dollar campaign to fight President Obama’s climate plan

By Juliet Eilperin   
30 January 2014 (Washington Post) – A coalition of business, energy and farm groups are spending millions of dollars to fight the Obama administration’s effort to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and other sources. The Partnership for a Better Energy Future, which includes the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy, shows the extent to which business groups are coordinating in order to resist the president’s climate action plan. One of the plan’s key proposals is a regulation to curb carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, which will be unveiled in June. The coalition–which consists of 78 organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation as well as trade associations from the oil refining and coal industries –is prepared to spend significant money on the campaign. NAM spokesman Jamie Hennigan wrote in an e-mail that in response the the administration’s greenhouse gas “regulatory agenda and the threat is poses to the availability of affordable and reliable energy for American families and businesses, members of the coalition collectively plan to dedicate millions of dollars towards this issue.” In a news release, the group —said it will present “a unified strategy and message” in order to combat upcoming greenhouse gas regulations. [more]

Business groups form multi-million dollar campaign to fight Obama’s climate plan