North Carolina businesses are defecting from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's opposition to clean energy legislation.

The list of companies that are criticizing the U.S. Chamber or have publicly broken with the organization over its head-in-the-sand stance is growing and now includes Apple, Pacific Gas and Electric, Microsoft, Nike, and GE, among others.

On Thursday, officials from three North Carolina companies will hold a news conference affirming their opposition to the chamber and their support of energy legislation.

The companies are Argand Energy Solutions of Charlotte, Burt's Bees of Durham and T.S. Designs of Burlington.

Apple Computer will build a data center in North Caroilna.

Gov. Beverly Perdue this morning signed into law a bill that would give the company millions worth of tax breaks. The company then promptly announced it would build a facility in the state. The Cupertino, Calif., based company is expected to invest more than $1 billion in the project over nine years. The incentive law requires that investment for Apple to get its tax breaks.

"We welcome Apple to North Carolina and look forward to working with the company as it begins providing a significant economic boost to local communities and the state," Perdue said.

Perdue's news release did not specify exactly where the facility would be located.

Critics of the incentive, worth $3 million a year at first, said the state is spending a lot of money to create a few jobs. The facility is expected to employ at least 50 full-time employees, according to a news release from the governor's office. It would also attract as many as 250 contractors.

More after the jump.

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The House gave final approval Wednesday to a tax incentive designed to lure an Apple Computer facility to the state.

The bill, which lowers the corporate tax the company would pay, must go back to the Senate since the House modified the Senate's version. The House approved the bill 80 to 34.

The House's changes limited the bill to apply only to one company. State officials won't specify who they are trying to lure, but it is widely discussed that the company is Apple, which is considering the state for a data center, essentially a giant warehouse of computer servers, likely to run company services such as the iTunes music store and the application store for its popular iPhone.

The center would bring about 50 workers, although another 250 contractors could get jobs. The facility could grow to employ more as its mission expands.

Apple Computer Inc. would have one more reason to set up shop in North Carolina under a bill approved by the Senate Monday night.

Senators voted 37 to 9 to change the way corporate taxes are calculated for companies that make enormous capital investments. The bill would affect only a handful of companies now in the state, but it was designed to lure Apple to locate an operation in North Carolina, spending more than $1 billion.

Under the bill, only a company's North Carolina sales would be used to calculate its corporate income tax. North Carolina now includes a company's property and payroll when calculating the tax.