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| Overall Assessment |
Comment |
Score |
| Comprehensive |
General Electric provides an unusually full picture of its climate-policy advocacy. The company names multiple identifiable measures it has worked on, including the Inflation Reduction Act and its clean-energy tax credits, the expansion of the Section 45Q credit for carbon capture, “permitting reform” provisions before the U.S. Congress, the European Commission’s Green Deal package, the London Protocol on trans-border CO₂ transport, and the European consultation on industrial carbon management, among others. It also details how it tries to influence those measures. GE reports “more than 120 meetings with the Biden Administration and members of Congress,” “one-on-one meetings with key lawmakers,” participation in a Department of Energy task force, responses to European Commission public consultations, and a “grass-roots public advocacy campaign” that delivered “nearly 1,300 letters to members of Congress representing 34 states,” while simultaneously leveraging trade bodies such as the American Clean Power Association and the Carbon Capture Coalition. Finally, the company is explicit about the outcomes it is pursuing: it advocates for “a comprehensive package of clean energy tax credits,” “increased funding in research and development and incentive mechanisms to accelerate cost-effective carbon capture … and hydrogen,” “streamlin[ed] permitting processes for clean energy projects,” ratification of the London Protocol to enable cross-border CO₂ storage, and EU targets such as a “42.5 % renewable share by 2030” and a “strong carbon price signal.” By clearly identifying the policies, the engagement channels and targets, and the specific legislative or regulatory changes it wants, GE demonstrates a high level of transparency in its climate-related lobbying.
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4
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| Overall Assessment |
Comment |
Score |
| Comprehensive |
General Electric discloses a detailed and multi-layered framework that explicitly governs the alignment of both its direct and indirect climate-related lobbying with its stated climate objectives. The Boards Governance Committee, composed solely of independent directors, oversees the companys political spending and lobbying activities, including external reporting on such activities, and conducts a yearly review of GEs political spending policies and lobbying practices, demonstrating clear, recurring board-level oversight. Day-to-day management sits with named executives: The CSO has day-to-day responsibility for climate change and sustainability matters and works closely with the Head of Government Affairs and Policy, while these two executives are regularly briefed on and help develop our policy priorities and activities, signalling an identified management chain for lobbying alignment. GE publishes a dedicated, public assessment of Paris alignment: In this years Sustainability Report, we are again providing a description of how GEs climate lobbying activities align with the goals of the Paris Agreement, see pages 98-103, and notes that independent external resources have reviewed the information and data within for quality, completeness and accuracy, providing stakeholders with an in-depth account of lobbying positions and trade-association alignment. The company reports that during the past year, GE undertook an effort to centrally compile a global inventory of trade associationswe conducted analysis of each trade associations specific positions on climate change, and how well those positions aligned with GEs own policy positions and with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, and it commits to act on misalignment: Where we see trade associations potentially advocate for a position different than ourswe begin by reaching out to the trade association to assert influence toward alignmentwithdrawing financial support if the misalignmentoutweighs the overall benefits. Direct engagement is similarly governed; for example, GE launched a public advocacy campaign urging the U.S. Congressto pass a comprehensive package of clean energy tax credits, which the company states was aligned with GEs advocacy. Annual meetings with major trade bodiesAnnually, we meet with our major U.S. trade associations to review our policy priorities, including stressing the importance of each to align with the Paris Climate Agreement goalsand semi-annual board reports establish regular monitoring mechanisms. Collectively, the published Paris-aligned lobbying review, defined escalation steps for misaligned associations, and clearly assigned board and executive oversight indicate comprehensive and transparent governance of both direct and indirect climate lobbying activities, reflecting strong alignment controls and public accountability.
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4
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