The president of the US Chamber of Commerce yesterday swung his ax at environmental groups, which he blames for pressuring companies to quit the trade group over its position on climate change.

“There is underway an orchestrated pressure campaign by a couple of environmental groups,” said chamber boss Thomas Donohue at a press conference in Washington, adding his group won’t bend on the issue.

Apple, California power company PG&E and Nike are among a handful of big-name firms that have quit the chamber in recent weeks because of the group’s opposition to Washington’s plans to impose rules designed to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions.