Executive Summary
Business associations are among the most frequent opponents of climate and energy policy across state legislatures. We compiled a major new database—with 224,530 lobbying and testimony records on 5,449 pieces of climate and clean energy legislation across 12 states—and found that business associations were the third most active opponent of environmental groups on climate and energy bills.
By examining over a hundred pieces of public testimony and web documents and deciphering common claims across states, we show what arguments cross-industry business associations and chambers of commerce are using their perceived economic expertise to claim that pro-climate policies will be too costly. Businesses are using their platform and “expertise” to claim that climate policies are harmful, mostly because they increase costs. This is one of the widely-used “discourses of climate delay” being deployed around the world against ambitious transitions off fossil fuels.
We highlight two major implications of these findings. First, while businesses may claim to independently support climate action, they may not be aware that business associations representing them are actively advocating against climate policies. Second, as advocates continue to push for state-level policy, they must provide credible economic arguments to combat business association claims that those policies will automatically increase costs or hurt livelihoods. Continuing to allow business associations to define the narrative around the economic implications of climate policy on the state-level will prevent the ambitious action necessary to address the scale of the climate crisis.
Policy Pointers
Cross-state opposition: Across 224,530 lobbying and testimony records on 5,449 pieces of climate and clean energy legislation in 12 states, business associations were the third most active sector opposing environmental groups on climate and energy bills.
Delay vs. Denial: Claims that climate change is not occurring (climate denial) were almost entirely absent from business associations’ arguments. Instead, business associations attacked climate solutions.
Cost-Based Arguments: Business associations most commonly argued that pro-climate policies would increase costs or harm the economy.
For Advocates: To contest the claims that climate policy will hurt the economy, coalitions in favor of climate action can partner with businesses that can benefit from the green energy transition.
For Businesses: While businesses may support climate action, their chamber of commerce or manufacturers’ group could be lobbying against these policies on their behalf.
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