Deere Cap And Trade

Deere opted to leave the U.S. Climate Action Partnership because the group's legislative strategy "no longer served as a foundation for moving forward" with climate change regulation, Ken Golden, a spokesman for the company, said Tuesday. "We came to the conclusion that Deere had other opportunities to be involved in climate change initiatives," Golden said.

The company joins a handful of other companies that have left the partnership in recent months, as political support erodes for comprehensive energy legislation that includes a cap-and-trade program and stricter mandates for energy conservation.

Under such a program, producers would have their carbon emissions capped at a certain level by government-issued credits or allowances.

Two policy groups worked this spring to convince Deere employees that cap-and-trade legislation would put Deere's U.S. employees at risk of losing their jobs if the company pursues lower-cost manufacturing sites overseas.

"Deere made a decision independent of the opinions of other organizations," Golden, the company spokesman, said. "Our involvement with various trade and industry organizations is routinely reviewed."