A coalition to be named later

There are hundreds of coalitions in Washington, lobbying on various issues like energy policy. So it’s not surprising that the Climate Neutral Business Network seemed a bit stumped in its new lobbying registration, which lists its client as the “Coalition of businesses not yet named.”

Sue Hall, the director of the CNBN, said it wasn’t a lack of imagination that led to the unusual filing. It’s just that it isn’t clear whom CNBN will be representing, if anybody.

The CNBN has worked with companies for years to lower their carbon footprint in a cost-effective way, Hall said. So even though the firm hasn’t lobbied Congress on the climate bill, it’s conceivable that it will someday weigh in on behalf of its corporate customers.

“There isn’t anybody that we are representing right now,” Hall said. She had filed the registration out of “an abundance of caution.”

But the firm does have an impressive list of clients, including BP, Dow Chemical, FedEx, Reebok and Sun Microsystems. CNBN has also worked to reduce the Dave Matthews Band’s carbon footprint.

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