U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s support for climate bills a hoax

Early this morning, VentureBeat received a press release, apparently from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, stating that the business association had decided to abandon its opposition to pending climate legislation, throwing its support behind the Kerry-Boxer bill that would establish a tough carbon trading system. Several major media outlets re-reported the story.
But something about it rang false. What would the Chamber pull a total 180 on policies that it stubbornly stuck by after the departure of several of its top-tier members — Apple, PG&E, Exelon and Nike? Yes, the White House has recently been exerting more pressure on the organization to change its tune, but president Tom Donohue sounded pretty resolute when he said last week that the Chamber wouldn’t be wavering. Of course, it didn’t help that the press release spelling Donohue’s name incorrectly, either.
Claiming that he made remarks today at the National Press Club in support of the Kerry-Boxer legislation, the statement also quoted Chamber spokesman Hingo Sembra as saying that any bill that passes “should include a stiff carbon tax and correspondingly strong incentives for industries we wish to foster.”
It also said “the Chamber announced an immediate moratorium on lobbying and publicity work opposing climate legislation.” The email came from press@chamber-of-commerce.us, which is different from the media contact information provided on the association’s web site.
When VentureBeat called the Chamber for comment on this story, the spokesman at the media center confirmed that the email is now a well-known hoax and that the organization has in no way changed its stance on climate change or the legislation it is lobbying against.