Apple quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2009 in protest of the Chamber’s lobbying against federal caps on greenhouse-gas emissions. Apple, of course, would not be directly affected by a U.S. greenhouse-gas cap, because 81 percent of all Apple’s emissions happen overseas.

The folks at the National Center for Public Policy Research think Apple’s pro-cap-and-trade stance, however, might be less about pursuing the company’s interest, and more about a board-member’s self-interest — and not just any board member.