Businesses abandoning climate change alliance

Looks like there's a stampede to exit the United States Climate Action Partnership. Copier king Xerox (XRX) and insurance broker Marsh (MMC) apparently are no longer in the business-green alliance supporting cap-and-trade legislation, or so says Tom Borelli, director of the National Center for Public Policy Research's Free Enterprise Project.

On Tuesday, energy giants BP (BP) and ConocoPhillips (COP), along with heavy equipment maker Caterpillar (CAT), said they were leaving the group.

Borelli says USCAP's Tuesday press release "misled the public by failing to disclose" that Xerox and Marsh had left too. The release doesn't list the firms as members, but they were listed in January 2009 congressional testimony.

All the firms have their own reasons for leaving, but businesses generally don't feel the same pressure to play, as Capital Hill noted Tuesday:

When President Obama swept into office with huge Democratic majorities in Congress, many corporations felt they needed to get on board to try to influence the legislation. But cap-and-trade has stalled in the Senate, the Copenhagen climate treaty talks failed and there has been a slew of embarrassing revelations regarding global warming data and forecasts. So sweeping emissions curbs no longer seem inevitable.

However, Borelli notes that GM and Chrysler are still part of USCAP:

It's outrageous that taxpayer-owned companies such as General Motors and Chrysler are dues-paying members of a lobbying outfit. With GM and Chrysler, we have government-owned companies lobbying the government for policies that will make our country less competitive. It's no wonder everyday Americans are becoming Tea Party activists.

GM and Chrysler - on life support as they are permanently attached to the public teat - are using taxpayer dollars to fund USCAP, a lobby to promote Democratic goals?

Tea Partiers Unite.