Chamber Of Commerce: Climate Change Policies 'Echo Our Principles'

The heated stand-off between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and lawmakers pushing for comprehensive climate change may be cooling, reports Congress Daily.

The nation's largest business association -- which has aggressively lobbied against the passage of climate change legislation, sent a letter to bill co-sponsor Sen. Barbara Boxer, saying "Senators Kerry and Graham have set forth a positive, practical and realistic framework for legislation, one that echoes the core principles of the Chamber."

The letter, referring to the New York Times op-ed penned by Sen. Lindsey Graham and bill co-sponsor Sen. John Kerry, was penned by R. Bruce Josten, the executive vice president for government affairs at the chamber.

Congress Dailyreports that Boxer called the missive a "game changer," however the letter very noticeably leaves out any mention of the cap-and-trade policy -- a central part of the Boxer-Kerry Bill that the chamber has staunchly opposed.

President Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, spoke to members of the chamber's board of directors earlier this week, Politico reported, in an off-the-record discussion of the administration's policies.

Tom Collamore, the chamber's senior vice president of communications and strategy, struck a particularly conciliatory tone when speaking about Emanuel's visit to the group's DC headquarters.

"We appreciate Rahm Emanuel taking the time to address the U.S. Chamber's board," Collamore said. "We share the common goals of getting the economy back on track, creating jobs and better preparing students to fill those jobs. This morning, we had a productive and robust exchange on a wide range of issues critical to economic progress, and we look forward to continued discussions."