Coalitions made up of top U.S. corporations want the U.S. Senate and White House to accelerate work on an energy and climate change bill. The groups are on Capitol Hill this week. Before coming to Washington, they sent an open letter to President Obama and the U.S. Senate, calling for them to enact comprehensive legislation, stating that now it's time for the United States Senate to act.
Executives from the groups told POLITICO they will argue that they need certainty to plan for the future. And although some companies disagree, these executives contend that many businesses, and the overall economy, would eventually benefit from the new law. The coalitions are under the umbrella of the Clean Energy Works Campaign. The campaign's David Di Martino says the conventional wisdom about business and climate is wrong and momentum among business leaders is growing.
John Rowe, chairman and CEO of Exelon, says companies need the legislative certainty to start making the substantial investments needed to jump-start a low-carbon economy and create jobs. Timberland President and CEO Jeff Swartz says they just want to know what the facts are, and then innovate in order to make a profit against them.
