Nike Quits US Chamber of Commerce in Support of Climate Bill
(image: nike.com)
Nike announced on Wednesday that it is resigning its position on the Board of Directors of the US Chamber of Commerce, according to Greenbiz.com article. Following several high-profile electric-utility companies, including Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Public Service Company of New Mexico, and Exelon, Nike cited the Chamber’s opposition to progressive climate-change legislation as the cause for its resignation. In a statement released earlier, Nike expressed disappointment “with the US Chamber’s recently filed petition challenging the EPA’s administrative authority and action on this critically important issue.” Nike explained the decision to continue its membership in the Chamber–though not its board seat–“to advocate for climate-change legislation inside the committee structure” in the belief that the company “can better influence policy by being part of the conversation.”
However, it seems likely that in the near future Nike will reevaluate its membership in the US Chamber of Commerce altogether. The Chamber has come under fire for its efforts to put climate-change science on public trial. The fact that Nike is a founding member of the pro-climate law coalition, Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy, demonstrates the company’s longstanding commitment to responsible environmental policy. Therefore it’s not surprising that Nike stuck to its decision to leave the board despite the Chamber’s attempt to soften its position by claiming that it supported federal legislation on climate change, just not the Waxman-Markey bill, which passed the US House in June.
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