Companies Quitting U.S. Chamber Over Climate Change

The U.S. Chamber is against reducing greenhouse gases. How weird is that? Exelon quit because they could benefit from energy legislation. It's always: what's in it for me? Companies should start thinking about what benefits the greater good because ultimately, that benefits them too. I know, La-La Land:

Exelon, the nation's biggest operator of nuclear power plants, said Monday that it's quitting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of the business group's lobbying against climate and energy legislation.

Last week, two other large energy companies, Pacific Gas and Electric and PNM Resources, also quit the Chamber over objections to its stance on climate change.

The Chamber lobbied vigorously against the climate bill that narrowly passed the House in June. The measure would set an annually declining cap on emissions and set up a system of tradable emissions allowances, and also included incentives for renewable energy and efficiency. Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., plan to unveil their draft of a Senate version on Wednesday. McClatchy

The Chamber's energy legislation beefs are rising energy prices, which means higher business costs, and the excuse that cutting greenhouse gases wouldn't work anyway. Speaking of beef, if we all stopped eating meat ONE DAY a week, that would go a long way to saving the planet. Meat processing puts out nearly one-fifth of greenhouse gases:

The Chamber, the nation's largest business lobby, contends that the climate legislation would curtail energy from coal and other fossil fuels, creating energy scarcity that would increase prices. It's also argued that the legislation wouldn't result in a cut in greenhouse gases globally because the reduction would be outweighed by the growth of emissions from developing countries.

The proposed legislation would direct funds from the sale of allowances back to fossil fuel companies during a transition period, a plan aimed at preventing price spikes and shortages. It also provides incentives for the development of renewable energy.

"The bottom line is that there's rarely unanimous agreement among our membership on any given issue," said Chamber spokesman Eric Wohlschlegel, noting that the Chamber of Commerce represents more than 3 million companies. McClatchy

It should be known that the Chamber complains about everything that requires business to be more responsible. It is also against Obama's proposed consumer financial protection agency that would regulate the financial markets to prevent another meltdown.

Colin Powell Skeptical of More Troops in Afghanistan

Whatever decision Obama makes on Afghanistan, at the very least, he has considered and weighed all the options. It appears that most of the hefty advisers, including Joe Biden, are against more troops. But Hillary Clinton is for more troops, according to the NYT:

The competing advice and concerns fuel a pivotal struggle to shape the president’s thinking about a war that he inherited but may come to define his tenure. Among the most important outside voices has been that of former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, a retired four-star Army general, who visited Mr. Obama in the Oval Office this month and expressed skepticism that more troops would guarantee success. According to people briefed on the discussion, Mr. Powell reminded the president of his longstanding view that military missions should be clearly defined.

Mr. Powell is one of the three people outside the administration, along with Senator John F. Kerry and Senator Jack Reed, considered by White House aides to be most influential in this current debate. All have expressed varying degrees of doubt about the wisdom of sending more forces to Afghanistan. Read more at the NYT

Other Obama advisers against more troops:

In the West Wing, beyond Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has advocated an alternative strategy to the troop buildup, other presidential advisers sound dubious about more troops, including Rahm Emanuel, the chief of staff, and Gen. James L. Jones, the national security adviser, according to people who have spoken with them. At the same time, Mr. Obama is also hearing from more hawkish figures, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Richard Holbrooke, the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. NYT

Hamas Adviser Writes Letter to Obama

In summary, a Hamas adviser wrote a letter to Obama but Hamas says the adviser is a fringe guy, so the letter doesn't represent Hamas (Hamas has fringe folks?), but no one knows what's in the letter, which was given to John Kerry, visiting the Gaza Strip, who passed it on to the U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem, who will pass it on to Washington.

JERUSALEM, Feb 20 (Reuters) - A Hamas adviser reached out to U.S. President Barack Obama in a personal letter that was passed from a top U.N. official to a high-ranking U.S. senator during a rare visit to the Gaza Strip, officials said on Friday.

The enclave's Hamas rulers disavowed the letter, which the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem will send on to Washington for review.

It was the first known overture of its kind since Obama became president last month, but it is unclear whether it will reach him. A U.S. boycott of Hamas has not changed under the new administration.

Karen AbuZayd, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), gave the letter addressed to Obama, along with other materials, to Sen. John Kerry, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, during his brief visit to the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

Committee spokesman Frederick Jones said Kerry left Gaza and only learned later about the origin of the letter after media reports quoted AbuZayd and other U.N. officials as saying it had been written by Hamas.

UNRWA said the letter had been left by Hamas at the front of its compound in Gaza City. UNRWA officials had no immediate comment on why Kerry had not been told directly that the letter had been sent by Hamas.

A Palestinian official familiar with the matter said the letter was authored by Ahmed Youssef, a Hamas foreign ministry adviser, and that he acted on his own behalf, rather than as a representative of the Islamist group which rules the Gaza Strip.

Youssef has made appeals to Western leaders in the past to try to soften their opposition to Hamas, which the United States and the European Union consider a terrorist organisation. Read the rest.