A brief, but powerful letter

The fight to pass clean energy and climate protection legislation is being fought at all levels. A resident of Montgomery County sent in this letter to the Lansdale Reporter yesterday urging swift action on climate change. Businesspeople, workers, elected officials and everyday, ordinary people are raising their voices together for clean energy and climate protection.

Read this letter, and then, if you haven't done so yet, head over to the Repower Wall and record your message for clean energy action.

***

Global warming can no longer be ignored even by those who would choose to do so. It is simply a fact backed up by too much evidence.

As usual, Congress has failed to take decisive and immediate action. It is easier to placate special interests by moving slowly.

Right now, our U.S. senators are considering legislation to address global climate change, and the decisions they make over the coming days and weeks will determine whether polar bears, walruses, red wolves and other wildlife get the help they need to survive in a changing climate.

As guardians of this planet, both for our children and our wildlife, caution is not the answer. Meaningful action is needed to protect this beautiful planet we have been given from turning ugly and barren.

Marc Hoffman
North Wales

The Repower Wall is Open for Business!

Repower Pennsylvania amplifies thousands of citizen voices for clean energy and climate action on historic Repower Wall
Using a groundbreaking, multimedia approach, business, faith, military, science and environmental leaders join thousands of grassroots supporters to “add your voice”

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Today, the Alliance for Climate Protection’s Repower Pennsylvania campaign unveiled a new campaign designed to demonstrate broad national consensus for action on clean energy and climate. An integrated multimedia effort supported by an online, field and advertising campaign, the new Repower effort centers around a virtual “Repower Wall,” where thousands of people have already uploaded messages of strong support for action to create clean energy jobs, safeguard America’s economic and national security future, and solve the climate crisis. The Repower Wall is available at www.repoweramerica.org/wall.

“Pennsylvanians have joined thousands of voices from across America on the Repower Wall to express their support for swift action to address climate change and to transition to a new 21st century clean energy economy,” said Repower Pennsylvania Director Michael Fedor. “The Repower Wall is becoming a hub for all Pennsylvanians who want to see our economy grow and to start down a path toward a new energy future for Pennsylvania and America.”

According to the Center for American Progress, transitioning to a clean energy economy will create more than 70,000 jobs here in Pennsylvania while revitalizing our economy, strengthening our national security and breaking our dependence on foreign oil.

Already, more than 12,000 individuals have added their faces and voices to the Repower Wall, and more than 40 leading corporations and non-governmental organizations have contributed their logos to the effort – including Fortune 500 Companies like Nike, Gap, Inc., Avon, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Staples, eBay and Exelon.

The Repower Wall includes many Pennsylvanians from all backgrounds, such as small business owners, labor leaders and elected officials. Some voices from Pennsylvania include:

United Steelworkers International President Leo Gerard from Pittsburgh, Pa.: “It’s important that we make sure that the next generation has at least as good a shot in life as we did. In order to do that, we can’t have a tradeoff between good jobs and a clean environment. We need to have both or we will have neither.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G47vLiC7tV0

State Rep. Chelsa Wagner from Pittsburgh, Pa.: “There’s no better opportunity like now to do this for the United States. And as a new mother, to have my child grow up and be healthy and have an environment we can be proud of, but also know that during our lifetime we took the leadership.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyIzXW3yJ10

State Rep. Josh Shapiro from Abingdon, Pa.: “We can give families more money to take home if we simply stand up now and do what is right and what is necessary. We’re looking to everyone to make their voice heard and be a part of this project. This is the time to act.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaZL6GfhNz0

Calling on people across the U.S. to add their own message of support to the Repower Wall, a combination of notable names and everyday Americans are featured in a pair of national television ads titled “Voices” and “Faces” that also began airing today. The campaign has attracted a wave of messages from workers, business executives, military veterans, faith leaders, elected officials, entertainers, activists and people from across the country, demonstrating the deep and broad support for swift action on climate change and a transition to a new 21st century clean energy economy. See a list of notable endorsements below.

As supporters upload their photos, videos and messages of support for clean energy and climate action, they actually become the voice of the campaign’s efforts on TV, in print, on billboards, online and in brand new forms of communication that will go directly to elected leaders.

The Repower America campaign will roll out new versions of the television ads, featuring different participants, in the coming weeks. To learn more about the effort and view the television ads, visit the campaign web site: www.repoweramerica.org.

LIST OF NOTABLE PARTICIPANTS


Corporations
- North Face
- Gap, Inc.
- Seventh Generation
- Clif Bar and Company
- Levi Strauss Co.
- PepsiCo
- Avon
- Aspen Skiing Company
- AMD
- Starbucks
- Whole Foods
- Exelon
- Veterans Energy
- Lifetime
- Nike
- Ebay
- Tom’s Shoes

Organizations
- United Steel Workers
- National Farmers Union
- NAACP
- Blue Green Alliance
- Business Forward
- SEIU
- United Farm Workers
- Audubon
- Trout Unlimited
- Union of Concerned Scientists
- National Wildlife Federation
- Operation Freedom
- Vote Vets
- The Truman National Security Project
- Physicians for Social Responsibility
- Republicans for the environment
- WePlayGreen.org
- Sierra Club
- American Nurses’ Association

Individuals
- Sheryl Crow
- General Brent Scowcroft
- Lt. General Claudia Kennedy
- John Donahoe, CEO of Ebay
- Ted Turner
- Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo
- General Wesley Clark
- Reverend Richard Cizik
- Theodore Roosevelt IV
- Sally Ride
- Brig. Gen. Stephen Cheney (USMC)
- Andrea Wong, CEO of Lifetime
- Leo Gerard
- Mayor John Hickenlooper
- Mayor Shirley Franklin
- Mayor Mike Bloomberg
- Rev. Lennox Yearwood
- Dr. Peter Wilk
- Dr. Rebecca M. Patton
- MLK III
- Dr. Rajendra Pachuari
- Professor Stephen Hawking
- Eddy Moore, AR Business Leaders for a Clean Energy Economy
- Bill Keith, CEO Sunrise Solar


TV AD SCRIPTS:

Script: “Voices” (TV-:30)

JoJo Farrell, Teacher: “Why join the fight to repower America with clean energy?”
Sheryl Crow, Singer/Songwriter: “Because millions of people believe it will make a better future for our children;”
General Brent Scowcroft: “Because climate change threatens our national security;”
Rev. C. Douglas Smith: “We have a responsibility to protect God’s creation;”
Ted Turner, Founder, UN Foundation: “Because I want jobs that are made in America;”
Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo: “Because of some of America’s most trusted companies know clean energy will create new industries and new jobs;”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City: “Because I want America to lead the way;”
All: “So add your voice. Add your voice;”
VO: “Add your voice at repoweramerica.org/wall”

###

Script: “Faces” (TV-:30)

VO: Teachers and Students,
Business and Labor,
Scientists and the Clergy,
Energy Companies and Environmentalists,
Doctors and Military Leaders,
Republicans and Democrats,
They all agree now is the time to lead.
We have a historic opportunity to end our dependence on foreign oil and rebuild our economy by investing in a clean energy future.
Now is the time to Repower America.
Add your voice at repoweramerica.org/wall


About the Alliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign:
The Alliance for Climate Protection launched the Repower America campaign to galvanize the American public around a bold new clean energy plan and a revitalized national energy infrastructure that will jumpstart our economy and create millions of jobs; help end our dependence on foreign oil; reward innovation and job creation, not polluters; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the threat of climate change. For more information, visit www.repoweramerica.org.

Contstruction Workers' Union Tells Senators Benefits of Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act

LIUNA – One of the Nation’s Largest Unions of Construction Workers – Testifies for Job-Creating Investments During Senate Hearing on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE )--LIUNA – one of the nation’s largest unions of construction workers – backed significantly increased investment in residential weatherization during a U.S. Senate hearing today on the Clean Energy Jobs and America Power Act.

“Weatherizing homes, which account for 22 percent of America’s energy consumption, can reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create hundreds of thousands of family-supporting jobs,” Dave Johnson, LIUNA’s Eastern Region Organizing Director, said in testimony before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

The Clean Energy Jobs and America Power Act would expand programs to weatherize the estimated 100 million energy inefficient homes in America. Johnson described how LIUNA’s breakthrough national weatherization training program is already connecting workers to careers after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allotted $5 billion to expand low-income home weatherization.

Weatherization on a nationwide scale will require the creation of a new American industry, with tens of thousands of new workers and a 40-fold increase in the capacity of existing weatherization businesses. LIUNA has created a breakthrough training program to meet the demand.

Johnson testified on the success of LIUNA’s efforts, including LIUNA Local 55’s weatherization training program in Newark, New Jersey. “Nearly 80 low-income community residents in New Jersey have been trained as LIUNA installers and hundreds more have come to informational meetings seeking to participate in the program. We’ll be able to deliver. Our training center recently won a bid to train 600 workers for the NJ Department of Labor over 18 months,” he said.

Johnson also cited New York City weatherization contractor CEC, which recently signed a contract with LIUNA Local 10, to demonstrate how the new industry benefits those too often left behind in today’s economy. “For five years, CEC’s women’s locker-room went unused because they had no women construction workers. Now, by partnering with LIUNA and the community, CEC’s employees include women, many of them single mothers who are finding a family-supporting career and doors opening to new opportunity.”

Weatherization can reduce a home’s energy use by as much as 40 percent and cut energy bills by $21 billion annually – an estimated average annual savings of $350 per homeowner. By retrofitting energy inefficient homes, America can lower residential greenhouse gas emission by 60 million metric tons annually by 2020. Every million homes weatherized supports 78,000 jobs. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates a $2.73 return in benefits for each $1 invested in weatherization.”

LIUNA relies on experienced instructors who provide trainees with a broad set of skills and credentials such as Technicians/Installers, Weatherization Supervisors and Energy Auditors.

“If done right, weatherization will create tens of thousands of family-supporting jobs, reduce homeowners’ energy bills, help free our nation from foreign oil and protect the environment – it’s a win-win no matter how you look at it,” said LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan of the residential weatherization effort. “We commend Chairwoman Boxer and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for their leadership and we look forward to the day when millions of Americans confidentially call the LIUNA woman or LIUNA man to weatherize their homes and save their families money.”

Statement on Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s Testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works

Repower Pennsylvania Director Michael Fedor released the following statement in response to Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s appearance before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works:

“We applaud Mayor Nutter’s testimony this morning before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works hearing on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. Under Mayor Nutter’s leadership, Philadelphia is emerging as a national leader for cities investing in clean energy and climate protection at the local level.

“As Mayor Nutter pointed out in his Senate testimony, clean energy policies will create thousands of new jobs in the Philadelphia area. The region is already home to 14,400 green jobs, a number that could double in the next five years with passage of comprehensive clean energy reform.

“These goals and many others are placing Philadelphia on pace to meet Mayor Nutter’s goal of making it ‘the Greenest City in America.’ Repower Pennsylvania is calling on mayors across the state to follow Mayor Nutter’s example and share their clean energy success stories in their cities. With workers, businesses, neighborhoods and government working together, we can create thousands of clean energy jobs, revitalize American power and protect our climate for future generations.”

Contact:
Benjamin Freed
Repower Pennsylvania Communications Director
917-903-3031
benjamin.freed@climateprotect.org

Report: Climate change bill would bring jobs to Pa.

From this morning's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a new study showing the benefits of clean energy legislation to Pennsylvania:

Report: Climate change bill would bring jobs to Pa.

A report by the University of Illinois, the University of California and Yale University says that climate and energy legislation now in Congress, if passed, could create up to 78,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania. The report said investments under the American Clean Energy and Security Act could add up to $4.3 billion to the state's gross domestic product. The San Francisco-based Energy Foundation, an advocate for energy efficiency and renewable energy, commissioned the report.

Read it at the Post-Gazette.

White House Report on Green Jobs and Clean Energy Savings for Middle-Class Families

From the White House this morning, Vice President Biden unveiled a report on expanding green jobs and clean energy savings for middle-class families.

Vice President Biden Unveils Report Focused on Expanding Green Jobs And Energy Savings For Middle Class Families

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Vice President Biden today unveiled Recovery Through Retrofit, a report that builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job opportunities and boost energy savings by making homes more energy efficient. Joining the Vice President today were Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy; Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor; Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and Karen Mills, Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

At a Middle Class Task Force meeting earlier this year, the Vice President asked the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to develop a proposal for Federal action to lay the groundwork for a self-sustaining home energy efficiency retrofit industry. In response, CEQ facilitated a broad interagency process with the Office of the Vice President, eleven Departments and Agencies and six White House Offices to develop recommendations for how to use existing authority and funding to accomplish this goal. These recommendations are described in detail in the Recovery Through Retrofit Report.

"Recovery Through Retrofit is a blueprint that will create good green jobs – jobs that can’t be outsourced, and jobs that will be the cornerstones of a 21st-Century economy," said Vice President Biden. "And, thanks to the Recovery Act’s unprecedented investments in energy efficiency, we are making it easier for American families to retrofit their homes - helping them save money while reducing carbon emissions and creating a healthier environment for our families."

"This report builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job and business opportunities for the middle class while ensuring that the energy efficiency market will thrive for years to come," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "An aggressive program to retrofit American homes and businesses will create more work, more savings, and better health for middle class Americans."

Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent per home and lower total associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually. Retrofitting existing homes also has the potential to cut home energy bills by $21 billion annually. Yet, despite the real energy cost savings and environmental benefits associated with improving home energy efficiency, a series of barriers have prevented a self-sustaining retrofit market from forming. These barriers include a lack of access to information, financing and skilled workers.

The recommendations and actions in this Report have been carefully designed to help overcome these barriers and to leverage Recovery Act funding to help ensure that the energy efficiency market will thrive long after the Recovery Act money is fully spent.

Some recommendations in the report include:

Provide American Homeowners with Straightforward and Reliable Home Energy Retrofit Information: Consumers need consistent, accessible, and trusted information that provides a reliable benchmark of energy efficiency and sound estimates of the costs and benefits of home energy retrofits.
Reduce High Upfront Costs, Making Energy Retrofits More Accessible: Access to retrofit financing should be more transparent, more accessible, repayable over a longer time period, and more consumer-friendly.
Establish National Workforce Certifications and Training Standards: A uniform set of national standards to qualify energy efficiency and retrofit workers and industry training providers will establish the foundation of consumer confidence that work will be completed correctly and produce the expected energy savings and benefits. Such standards should incorporate healthy and environmentally friendly housing principles, as outlined in the report titled, the Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Promote Healthy Homes (2009). Proper certification and training standards will ensure that retrofitted homes are healthy homes. Consistent high-level national standards will spur the utilization of qualified training providers that offer career-track programs for people of all skill levels, promote and expand green jobs opportunities and facilitate the mobilization of a national home retrofit workforce.
To read the full report and recommendations, please go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Recovery_Through_Retrofit_Final_Report.pdf


"As Secretary of Labor I'm working to help build the clean energy economy of tomorrow by investing in our workers today," said Secretary Solis "Training for green jobs can empower workers to climb the career ladder, sustain a family and provide a secure retirement. Through Recovery through Retrofit, we're committing to meet the needs of workers, employers and homeowners, so we can shape our clean energy future into one that supports working families and is inclusive of the diversity of our nation."

"I am proud to join my colleagues today in announcing Recovery through Retrofit," said Secretary Donovan. "It will allow us to work closely together to remove barriers to creating more energy efficient homes for American families. This initiative will not only lead to cost savings for homeowners and reduce negative environmental impact, but will also be a powerful vehicle for economic recovery by creating quality middle class jobs and lasting neighborhood benefits. This is another demonstration of HUD's commitment to creating jobs for the new economy in high growth industries by encouraging and investing in "green" building and energy retrofits."

"This initiative will not only result in considerable cost savings for homeowners on their energy bills, but also put resources in the hands of green sector small businesses who will in turn create good-paying jobs in communities across the country," said SBA Administrator Mills.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, who was unable to attend this event due to travel added, "This is the Recovery Act at work. Communities will benefit from good jobs, families will benefit from lower energy bills, and we will all benefit from reduced air pollution and a growing green economy. Our Energy Star program can help families cut up to 30% off their energy bills -- saving the average household more than $700 a year through efficiency investments. EPA is proud to be working with all of our partners to help people save money when they need it the most, and build a new foundation for prosperity through a growing green economy."

The Department of Energy today also announced $454 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for energy efficiency efforts nationwide.
The Department is now accepting applications for a new $390 million "Retrofit Ramp-Up" program that will deploy innovative approaches to energy efficiency building retrofits. These Recovery Act funds will help create new partnerships to deliver energy bill savings to entire neighborhoods and towns. Bringing energy retrofits to whole neighborhoods at a time will simplify the process for homeowners and significantly reduce costs. When applied on a national scale, the program could save billions of dollars annually in utility bills for households and businesses and create thousands of jobs across the country. In addition, the Energy Department announced $64 million in energy efficiency funding for cities, counties, and Indian tribes.

"The Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative is designed to slice through the barriers identified in this report - inconvenience, lack of information, and lack of financing - and to make energy efficiency easy and accessible to all," said Secretary Chu. "We want to make our communities more energy efficient, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood -- eventually expanding to entire cities and states. We can literally bring energy efficiency to the doorsteps of the American people."

Separately, the Department of Energy will accept state proposals to use State Energy Grant or Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant funds for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) pilots. This is an innovative model which allows communities to provide financing to homeowners to install renewable energy systems and retrofit buildings that can be paid off over time on their property tax bills. Today, the White House is announcing a "Policy Framework for PACE Financing Programs" developed through an interagency process to ensure that effective homeowner and lender safeguards are included in PACE programs.

To read the framework, please go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/PACE_Principles.pdf

To ensure implementation of the Recovery Through Retrofit Report’s recommendations, CEQ will continue to convene an interagency Energy Retrofit Working Group which will be co-chaired by the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Agriculture.

The group will track the progress of the Report’s recommendations, develop additional strategies to support expansion of the retrofit market, including recommendations for rental housing, and operate as the single point of contact for the implementation of this effort. Within thirty days, the group will submit an implementation plan to the Vice President. Moreover, the group will report to the Vice President regularly on its progress toward implementing each of the recommendations identified in the Report.

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Veterans for Clean Energy Rolling Through Pennsylvania this Week

Tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday, the Operation Free Veterans for American Power bus tour will be rolling through Pennsylvania with veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan speaking out on the need for the United States to strengthen its national security by transitioning to clean energy and ending our dependency on sources of energy from unfriendly nations.

The cross-country tour will be making stops in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Scranton. See below for all the details.

***

Military veterans are traveling across the country on a 21-state bus tour to talk to citizens and local community leaders about the dangers of climate change and its threat to national security. The tour will make stops in Pennsylvania on October 20th, 21st and 22nd.

The tour is sponsored by Operation Free, a coalition of veterans and national security groups working together to raise public awareness about national security threats posed by climate change and the importance of building a clean energy economy that is not tied to fossil fuels.

In conjunction with the tour, the veterans group VoteVets.org is running a heavy buy of radio ads in Harrisburg and Scranton featuring local veterans.

Operation Free and its members support a clean energy plan that cuts carbon pollution, develops clean energy incentives, and puts America in control of its energy future. If you would like to set up an interview with one of the veterans traveling on the bus, please contact David Solimini at 757-876-0295. For more information about the tour, visit the Operation Free Veterans for American Power Bus Tour website (http://www.operationfree.net/on-the-bus/).

Pennsylvania Tour Schedule

Pittsburgh PA: Veterans will hold a press conference, take a tour of the Oakland Veterans Hospital, and have dinner and toast to veterans in Pittsburgh.

Tour of Oakland Veterans Hospital
WHEN: Tuesday, October 20, 2009
4:00 PM
WHERE: Oakland Vets Hospital
University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA

Press Conference
WHEN: Tuesday, October 20, 2009
5:15 PM
WHERE: Pittsburgh Jobs Corps Center
7175 Highland Drive, Pittsburgh, PA


Dinner and Toast to Veterans
WHEN: Tuesday, October 20, 2009
6:30 PM
WHERE: Primanti Brothers Restaurant
3803 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA


Harrisburg, PA: Veterans will host a breakfast roundtable with local veterans and a press conference with local veterans and officials. They will then take a tour of a local job training site with union members.

Breakfast Roundtable
WHEN: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
10:00 AM
WHERE: Bagel Lovers coffee shop
327 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA

Press conference
WHEN: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
11:00 AM
WHERE: Capitol Rotunda
228 Walnut St., Harrisburg, PA
PARTICIPANTS: Paul Bachman, Central PA Building Trades President
Terry Peck, UA Local 520 Business Manager
Local veterans

Tour of Job Training Center
WHEN: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
11:50 AM
WHERE: Plumbers & Pipefitters 520
7193 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg, PA



Philadelphia, PA: Veterans will host a town hall with State Rep. Brian Lentz

WHEN: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
6:30 PM
WHERE: Philadelphia City Hall, Mayor's Reception Room (Room 202)
Enter through NE entrance of City Hall, near intersection of Juniper and Market Streets.


Scranton, PA: Veterans will host a press conference with local citizens.

WHEN: Thursday, October 22, 2009
10:15 AM
WHERE: Civil War Memorial for press conference
N. Washington Ave and Spruce Street, Scranton, PA

Morning Call: Bethlehem water agency explores adding wind power

From today's Morning Call in Allentown:

Bethlehem water agency explores adding wind power
By Nicole Radzievich

The Bethlehem agency that owns the city's water supply in its spring-fed reservoirs in the Poconos is looking at harnessing another natural resource there: the wind.

In a time when clean energy and green living have become buzz words, the Bethlehem Authority decided Thursday to begin evaluating two companies who want to build a windmill farm at the watershed.

Proposed are 30 to 70 turbines, about 180 feet tall, on the rural ridges of Carbon and Monroe counties. Depending on how many turbines are erected, the enterprise could eventually bring the authority $200,000 to $500,000 a year and provide enough renewable energy to power more than 10,000 homes.

Read the rest of the article here.

The Senate is beginning to debate the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act that will help the United States transition to a clean energy economy. Investing $6.1 billion in Pennsylvania's clean energy industries will create 70,000 jobs within two years, protect our climate for future generations, and reduce our dependency on foreign sources of fossil fuel, making our country more safe and secure.

Repower Pennsylvania Goes Where Eagles Dare

On Monday, Oct. 5, Repower Pennsylvania organizers attended the Alliance for American Manufacturing's Keep it Made in America town hall event at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Today's Repower Roundup

GE: The US Chamber Does Not Speak for Us on Climate
http://bit.ly/ViQuz

Pete Altman
NRDC
September 30, 2009

Another company has joined the procession of firms distancing themselves from the US Chamber of Commerce's position on climate change, making it clear that the Chamber does not represent its views. General Electric told Politico that:

"We're a member of the Chamber because a lot of our customers are there, a lot of our competitors, so we get a good perspective on issues of national import," says GE spokesman Peter O'Toole. "The Chamber does not speak for us on climate legislation, but we are still a member."

Also, Bloomberg News reported that GE said "neither [the chamber nor National Association of Manufacturers] represent GE's view that advanced energy and climate legislation is needed."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cZdvy6PnhY&feature=player_embedded

To help keep track of which companies have done what, I'm going try keeping a running tab:

Quit US Chamber: Exelon, PNM Resources, PG&E.

Quit US Chamber Board: Nike.

Says Chamber doesn't represent their views on climate: Johnson&Johnson, GE.