This story caught my attention late Friday evening — about Apple’s board resisting activist-shareholder calls for the company to produce an annual environmental-sustainability report. Seemed on first blush to be a rare victory for shareholder value over green corporate posturing — and from such a surprising source.

I asked Tom Borelli — director of the free enterprise project at the National Center for Public Policy Research — what he thought about it. His response:

“Apple decided to polish its green image by leaving the U.S Chamber of Commerce because the trade group was opposed to the cap-and-trade bill moving in Congress. Now the company is fighting shareholder proposals to report on its environmental sustainability.

“The real inconvenient truth may be the company is happy to press for tough environmental laws in the U.S. because these regulations will have no impact on its bottom line — Apple makes its products overseas in countries such as China. It seems Apple board member Al Gore’s hypocrisy extends beyond his house, diet, and air travel to his supervision of the company’s environmental performance. It appears the only green Gore is interested in is the almighty dollar.”