New Mexico Utility Quits Chamber Over Its Climate Change Stance

Another utility company is pulling out of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over its stand on climate change and its opposition to cap-and-trade legislation being debated in Congress. Calling climate change “the most pressing environmental and economic issue of our time,” the New Mexico-based utility PNM Resources announced it would not renew its membership at the end of the year. This comes a week after Pacific Gas & Electric, a major California utility, withdrew from the chamber over its climate change stance. The chamber, the largest business group in the U.S., opposes any cuts in carbon emissions that would drive up energy costs, and it has been critical of President Obama’s call for tighter regulations. The organization also threatened litigation if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t revisit its findings on the effects of climate change. PNM officials said they would prefer to spend company resources working with groups that share their view on the need for “thoughtful, reasonable” climate legislation. “The climate change issue is so compelling, we felt it best to focus on those relationships that are productive,” said Don Brown, a company spokesman.