According to a report, Apple, Microsoft, Disney, and Amazon are some of the top companies that support corporate lobby groups and organizations fighting a US climate bill. This is despite the fact that all of these companies have pledged to reduce their environmental impact.
Three lobbyist groups and business organizations that are opposed to the Democrats' $3.5 trillion budget bill include the United States Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable. According to The Guardian, Accountable.US has analyzed these groups to find out which companies have connections to them.
The largest lobbying group in America, the Chamber of Commerce, said that it would do everything possible to stop the tax-raising and job-killing reconciliation bill becoming law.
The Business Roundtable board includes Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Sundar Pichai (Google and Alphabet), and Andy Jassy (Amazon CEO). The group expressed concern about the bill's potential impact on the rich and the higher taxes it will result in. Google has made past political contributions to organizations and individuals who have debunked climate change.
The Rate Coalition will release attacks ads on the bill, according to the report. The body's members are Disney and Verizon (Engadget’s former parent company).
Lobbying groups supporting the bill's defeat are in conflict with tech companies' efforts to address the climate crisis. For one, Microsoft, Google, and Apple all supported the Paris Agreement. Apple and Microsoft both promised to be carbon neutral or negative by 2030.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and the Climate Pledge were the first to launch it in 2019. The Climate Pledge aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, and meet the Paris Agreement benchmarks 10 years early. Microsoft is one of the 200+ companies who have signed the pledge. Disney, for its part, has set a goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2030.
Engadget reached out to Microsoft, Google, and Apple for comment. The Guardian stated that no company it contacted had rejected the positions of the organizations they were members. None of them stated that they would reconsider their connections to these bodies.
Amazon supported the infrastructure bill as well as the climate aspects in the Build Back Better reconciliation bill on Friday. Engadget was provided with the following statement by a spokesperson:
Amazon believes that both the private and public sectors must be involved in addressing climate change. We advocate for policies that encourage clean energy, improve access to renewable electricity, decarbonize transportation systems, and promote clean energy. We advocate for these issues at the local, state and international levels. Additionally, we have a global sustainability team that invents sustainable solutions for our customers and business. Also, we co-founded The Climate Pledge, which is a commitment to being net-zero carbon 10 year ahead of the Paris Agreement.
Amazon has made bold promises to reduce carbon emissions and we encourage other companies to follow our lead. We support the Infrastructure and Build Back Better bills, which will lower America's emissions in key sectors such as energy and transport. These investments will also help us achieve our carbon reduction goals. We supported an increase in the corporate rate to help pay for infrastructure. Congress and the Administration should work together to find a balanced solution that preserves or increases U.S. competitiveness.
Updated 1/10/12:22 ET: Added Amazon statement.
