The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has not been a friend of environmental legislation or regulation. The Chamber, which represents more than 3 million U.S. businesses, spent millions to lead the successful fight against carbon cap-and-trade legislation, along with health care reform and most of President Obama's other legislative goals. It remains an implacable opponent of EPA environmental regulations — of greenhouse gases or just about anything else, arguing that they raise costs and hurt job creation.
A group of progressive businesses in California is working to provide an alternative to the Chamber. It's called the Green Chamber of Commerce, and it offers a place for businesses that want to embrace sustainability, not fight it. "There are businesses out there that want their voices heard," says David Steel, the president of the U.S. Green Chamber of commerce. "They don't feel represented by the positions that the U.S. Chamber might have."
