San Francisco-based power utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) abandoned its membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in protest over the organization's "extreme" position on climate change last week. Suggesting that this might be the start of a broader movement: a few days later, the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) did the same thing.
The Chamber, a lobbying group that represents some three million businesses, had called for the Environmental Protection Agency to hold a trail on climate science, to debate whether climate change is a result of human activity. They’ve referred to this as the “Scopes monkey trial of the 21st century.”
Companies Take a Stand to Support Climate Change Legislation — U.S. Climate Action Network
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is facing a second lawsuit accusing the utility of failing to tell residents of a small community near Barstow about a cancer-causing agent the company allegedly let seep into local groundwater supplies.
The suit, filed last month in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that PG&E – whose $333 million settlement with Hinkley residents in 1996 inspired the movie Erin Brockovich – supplied water tainted with chromium 6 to the all-volunteer Hinkley Fire Department.
According to the suit, PG&E used water containing chromium 6 between 1952 and 1965 to cool pipes that became heated during gas compression. The tainted water was then discharged into local groundwater supplies and used by local residents and the fire department, according to the suit.
The lawsuit also alleges that PG&E was aware that chromium 6, a known carcinogen, was potentially dangerous to anyone exposed to it.
Bakersfield attorneys Mike Dolan and Tom Anton filed the suit – which includes four wrongful death claims – in July on behalf of 56 plaintiffs. One of those plaintiffs, Gloria Darling, is a Barstow City Council member. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
Darling said she lived in the small community of Hinkley, located about 10 miles north of Barstow, during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The councilwoman spared no words in a blistering assessment of the public utility.
"PG&E is like a serial killer," Darling said. "They're a $9 billion company and they've murdered people, but no one has been sent to jail."
"Toxics Suit Cites PG&E in 4 Deaths."
When companies like PG&E and Shell, and BP support mandated legislation on Climate Change you can believe it has nothing to do with any noble effort to save the envrionment. In fact I find it very amusing that those that favor legislation being considered at the moment would at one point claim the energy companies are the reason why this is not being done and the money they give to some lobby to stop it and yet, the same companies are supporting legislation for climate change. Does anyone remember the movie Erin Brockovich well PG&E happens to be the company that the movie made reference too and they are also one of the climate change partners. So spare me the noble effots because this has nothing to do with wanting to protect the environment,.
