When we last left the flagship of the coal industry efforts to stop the clean air, clean water, clean energy jobs bill, it was fast taking on water (see “Duke Energy quits coal front group over climate bill“). Sure some otherwise sane passengers had joined the crew’s efforts to patch up the holes (see “GE fights for change from the inside … of a scandal-ridden coal industry front group!“) — for now (see below). But the smart ones, like Alcoa, had quietly gotten on one of the few remaining lifeboats.
Today Greenwire (subs. req’d) reports:
Another member of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is leaving the coal-and-utility trade group, citing concerns about whether the alliance wants to obstruct legislation to cap greenhouse gas emissions.
Alstom Power, a French company that makes parts for power plants and is working on carbon sequestration, said it is leaving ACCCE immediately.
“We have resigned from ACCCE because of questions that have been raised about ACCCE’s support for climate legislation,” said Tim Brown, an Alstom spokesman. The French company, which is partnering with U.S. utilities on power-plant projects, said that it wants to “remove any doubt about our full support” for a climate bill.
The move comes less than a week after Duke Energy Corp. said it was withdrawing from ACCCE because of powerful members of the group that are unwilling to support climate legislation. Alstom’s decision also shrinks ACCCE’s membership as the Senate returns and ACCCE lobbies the Senate on its version of climate legislation….
Both Alstom and Duke belong to the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, an alliance of businesses, environmental groups and other organizations lobbying Congress to mandate cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. U.S. CAP in its blueprint for action urges Congress to “quickly” enact legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
There are now just two companies that belong to both ACCCE and U.S. CAP: Caterpillar and General Electric Co.
C’mon Caterpillar and GE — do you really want to go down with the ship? Like the Titanic, the good bad ship ACCCE is coal-powered and steaming too fast in the wrong direction:
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