Is Toyota Fighting Against Green Car Standards?

[hill]

Please be patient ~ this will take a bit of background.

It pains me to read this, but it seems Toyota won't stand along side the likes of Nike, Apple, and other major corporations who oppose recent attacks by the Federal Chamber of Commerce, headed by stodgy ol' Tom Donohue. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the nation’s largest business lobby. It is against "Green Standards". Under that banner for example are the higher mpg gains that the Feds have recently made, to the dislike of the oil industry & the auto industry at large. Toyota, as a member, is funding the Chamber's anti-climate lobbying, but it's clear that they aren't going to listen until they hear it from Toyota owners.

Many Toyota owners, especially hybrid owners (not hybrids exclusively, and not Toyota owners exclusively) have already voiced their disapproval of Toyota siding with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce:

Toyota: Quit the Chamber of Commerce - a set on Flickr

The Chamber of Commerce doesn't like the Fed's trying to regulate higher mpg's and couches that opposition under the umbrella of being, "anti-greenhouse gas / anti climate change" (I'm NOT taking sides on this issue btw so DON'T KILL the Messenger). Further couched justifications are that Mr Donohue feels too many regulations will stymie business.

The Chamber of Commerce recently launched a campaign spending an incredible $100 million to kill top priorities of the President, and among them are energy. They've sued to block enforcement of the Clean Air Act for global warming emissions. They continue to question the basic science of global warming, and thus are lobbying every day to kill clean energy jobs plan.2 as well.

Thus (the logic goes), since we shouldn't interfere with business, we shouldn't mess with such things as higher mileage cars ... to many regs hurt business. We shouldn't worry about greenhouse gas, and thus we don't need to worry if cars are more environmentally friendly. The Auto industry though LOVES the logic. Other major corporations though have pulled their funding to the lobby:

Apple quits U.S. Chamber of Commerce over global warming views - San Jose Mercury News

Brendan Demelle | NIKE Quits Chamber of Commerce Board Over Climate Rift

Meanwhile, even as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce works to destroy auto efficiency standards brought about by effecting energy regulation/costs, Toyota runs "Green Adds" such as its famous auto made of twigs / "Why Not?" Campaign, that shows their green cars, virtually made of sticks and earth supposedly representing their business principals of environmental commitment, economic impact and social responsibility.

Toyota launches "Why Not?" ad campaign, the largest in the company's history — Autoblog Green

Business Week feels the U.S. Commerce Dept. is killing its own credibility.

Switchboard, from NRDC :: Pete Altman's Blog :: Donohue Will Stay the Course; Business Week Says Its Costing Him Credibility and Clout

Toyota being associated with the Chamber of Commerce certainly tempers their own business model. What with 1/2 of our fossil fuel being imported from countries that wish our destruction, and the limited nature of the resource, as well as the basic principal that cleaner cars mean less poisons entering the air, I don't get why Toyota wants to align with these folks:

Defiant Chamber Chief Says ‘Bring ’Em On’ - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com

I would beg every one to please do not turn the post into a fhop, as the gist is that the car (and the company that builds it) we love is indirectly funding a group with opposing interests. That's all.

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[Paradox]

Is this all pretty similar to the discussion here:

Toyota and lobbyists - a phone call can help

(if so maybe a merge is in order?)

[hill]

I'm not promoting a phone call to urge toyota. It's simply the news aspect. Some topics simply don't sit neatly into fhop, environmental or news, but rather cross over.

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[jasony79]

Please revise your post. The Chamber of Commerce and the Commerce Department are not the same. The Department of Commerce is led by Secretary Gary Locke, a former Governor of Washington. Believe me. He is green. None of your links say anything about the Department of Commerce.

[bwilson4web]

Until Toyota stops making hybrid electric or electric cars, the answer is NO. It is more likely that the Chamber of Commerce will take an anti-hybrid or anti-electric car position and then Toyota will have cause to quit.

Bob Wilson

[bwilson4web]

Looks like someone is having a little fun:

Fake "Chamber" Press Release Dupes Reuters - The Atlantic Politics Channel

The headline, if true, would be a news story indeed: the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, according to a press release e-mailed to journalists this morning, had decided to reverse its opposition to strong climate change legislation. But that's false. Some unknown group decided to punk the Chamber. And in the process, at least one news organization, Reuters, fell for it.
. . .

Ahhh, somethings are too funny.

Bob Wilson

[hill]

Oh no! I'll be checking that out.
Edit:
Very weird ... I've checked the various wire services & normally they print retractions when they do major screw ups ... still looking. Oh ... many have retracted. It's still strange though, that the timing would align with companies withdrawing membership.

Originally Posted by jasony79

Please revise your post. The Chamber of Commerce and the Commerce Department are not the same. The Department of Commerce is led by Secretary Gary Locke, a former Governor of Washington. Believe me. He is green. None of your links say anything about the Department of Commerce.

double sheesh! Supposedly we all learned that in high school civics. I'm guessing I slipped up once reading the thread with all the folks holding up the signs using the wrong term

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