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05/06/2024 04:03:15 am

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Google Withdraws From ALEC Over Climate Change

Google has pulled its support from right-wing group American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) citing a conflict with the latter's stance on Washington's action on climate change.

In an interview with National Public Radio's Diane Rehm, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said the company decided to withdraw from ALEC because it was a mistake.

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Google aspires to make political decisions based on facts and continuing to support a group that lobbies against evidence that shows humans as the cause for climate change is wrong, he said.

"They're just literally lying," he added.

Following Schmidt's radio interview, Google released a statement confirming it would not renew its membership next year.

ALEC's CEO Lisa Nelson said it was unfortunate Google decided to leave but that it would continue to fight for what it believed was right. She suggested the tech giant's withdrawal was driven by public pressure from leftist groups who deliberately confuse climate change denial for free-market policy.

According to Bloomberg, 55 organizations including Common Cause, Mountain View and Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) had sent a letter to Google earlier this month urging it to drop ALEC.

In the past 3 years, more than 80 corporations have pulled out from ALEC including Bank of America, Coca-Cola, General Motors and Microsoft, the CMD relayed.

ALEC lobbies for legislation on a wide range of free-market issues from Florida's Stand-Your-Ground law to charter school expansion.

It is also calling for a roll back on the government's decision on the use of renewable energy. ALEC has proposed a legislation that calls for a research body to investigate the disadvantages of limiting carbon emissions and potential benefits of global warming.

Google signed up with ALEC in August of 2011. It was an active member of the group's technology and communications sector which focuses on privacy, e-commerce and broadband issues. The tech giant reportedly spends US$10,000 annually for its affiliation with the group.

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