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Bill Radke: Today, a Senate committee takes up President Obama’s plans to fight climate change, and a new business lobby group wants in on that discussion. From the Marketplace Sustainability Desk, Caitlan Carroll tells us about “BICEP” — Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy.

Caitlan Carroll: Starbucks, Levis, and Sun Microsystems are just some of the companies that are part of BICEP. They want to be sure that their voices are heard in shaping future climate policy. Sun Microsystems, for instance, wants to see national energy efficiency goals for all utilities.

Sun’s Director of Corporate Social Responsibility Marcy Lynn:

Marcy Lynn: As far as we see it, energy efficiency is the low-hanging fruit.

These businesses also want a hand in structuring any federal program to cap greenhouse gases.

Mark Bernstein directs University of Southern California’s Energy Institute. He says these companies are already trying to save resources. What they really want to know is how their efforts will mesh with the administration’s policy plans.

Mark Bernstein: They are very strong in having these goals and they’d like to get credit for it.

Credit and maybe a little cost savings to boot.

In Los Angeles, I’m Caitlan Carroll for Marketplace.