US Chamber of Commerce Wants A Global Warming Trial
August 26th, 2009 by 
Facing the prospect that the federal government may soon begin regulating greenhouse gas emissions, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is proposing a public hearing in which the chamber and allied scientists question whether human-caused global warming is real.
William Kovacs, the chamber’s senior vice-president for environment, technology, and regulatory affairs, is asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to hold the rare public hearing, complete with witnesses, cross-examinations, and a judge who would rule whether man is indeed warming the planet.
Kovacs likened the hearing to “the Scopes monkey trial of the 21st century,” referring to the famed 1925 court case in which a Tennessee teacher was illegally accused of teaching evolution. “It would be the science of climate change on trial,” said Kovacs, adding that if the EPA refuses to hold a hearing, the chamber will file a lawsuit in federal court challenging the notion of man-made global warming.
The EPA — which is soon expected to declare that it will begin regulating carbon dioxide emissions because they are a threat to public health — said it had no intention of holding a global warming “trial,” calling the hearing a “waste of time” and the proposed lawsuit “frivolous.” The chamber, which represents three million businesses, is concerned not only about EPA regulation but also about a carbon cap-and-trade bill that has been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and is now before the U.S. Senate.
Appearing courtesy of Yale Environment 360.
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Tags:  carbon cap-and-trade bill Climate Change epa global warming global warming is real greenhouse gas emissions trial US Chamber of Commerce | [ Permalink ] |
Does it matter?
I don’t believe this economic demand for “Green” is going to go away. Regardless of whether these changes are caused by the sun or by human sources, “We the Consumer” have determined that things can be done better, and they’re demanding it through their economic choices.
Rather than spending so much on government corruptions, these corporations should be cleaning up their corporate processes. The lands, the waters, the air they pollute belongs to us all…I don’t care how greedy they might be.
Let us know the truth, yes, so should we (as a planet) need to implement global fixes, we can be intelligently informed…but understand that we have just experienced a technological renaissance…an evolution of global information systems and communications platforms…now, as a planet of thinkers, imagine what we might create?
I see widespread and beautiful gardens, rich with fruits and vegetables, harvesting water, filtering water, building soil, cleaning the air, enriching our lives…earth-scale water filtration systems…Pirate Ships on man-made mountain lakes…
The above comment is right on. Is the Chamber seriously interested in science debate or preventing what they deem as a threat to their business members interests? Should we not be concerned about vanishing bee populations or the increase in wildfires, droughts and toxic pollution? I don’t think there is much ‘debate’ about the obvious concerns millions of American’s have over the environment, resource management and having a sustainable future for our children. Green is the trend and why should we not demand of our product suppliers and manufacturers processes that do not harm the planet. Certainly, as consumers we should demand what is good for the whole and not a select few.