Republicans working for climate policy
Climate change has become an extremely polarized (and polarizing) issue. There are few Republicans who will openly acknowledge the scientific consensus on the issue, and even fewer who are publicly discussing policy options. However, there is a growing movement of conservatives who want climate action.
As a liberal, and a climate activist, its extremely frustrating to hear climate denial. At the same time, I realize that climate is a very sensitive issue for Republicans, who (legitimately) fear getting attacked if they talk about climate change. I also believe that only a strong bipartisan effort will be enough to generate meaningful policy. As a result of those two facts, I think its very important to support Republicans who take up the issue. In this post, I’ll highlight some Republicans leaders who are talking about climate change, and some Republican initiatives.
Bob Inglis
Bob Inglis was a US Representative from South Carolina from 1993–1999, and again 2005–2011. During his second tenure in Congress, Inglis often spoke the need to action on climate change. In 2010 he lost his re-election bid in a primary challenge from Trey Gowdy. He was challenged because of his outspoken views on the need for climate change. Inglis today is an advocate for a revenue-neutral carbon fee policy. He is also the director of RepublicEn, “a small team committed to building public understanding of free enterprise and its promise to solve energy and climate challenges.” Here is a nice interview with Bob Inglis.
George Shultz
George Shultz was secretary of state from 1982 to 1989 under President Ronald Reagan. In March 2015, Shultz wrote this opinion piece in the Washington Post, arguing that Ronald Reagan would have acted on climate change, and that his approach would be a revenue-neutral carbon fee policy.
Gibson Resolution
Gibson is a US Representative from New York. In September 2015, Gibson and 10 other Republican representatives introduced a resolution into the House calling for: “economically viable, and broadly supported private and public solutions to study and address the causes and effects of measured changes to our global and regional climates.” Since its introduction, one additional Republican representative co-sponsored the resolution.
Senate Energy and Environment Working Group
Shortly after the Gibson Resolution, four Republican Senators Kelly Ayotte (NH), Lamar Alexander (TN), Mark Kirk (IL), and Lindsey Graham (SC) announced they would be forming a working group within the Senate to “focus on ways we can protect our environment and climate while also bolstering clean energy innovation that helps drive job creation.”
Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus
Just this week, the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus was formed in the House of Representatives. Founded by Carlos Curbelo (FL) and Ted Deutch (FL), their goal is to “explore policy options that address the impacts, causes, and challenges of our changing climate.”
What it means
As you can see that the political landscape around climate change has changed dramatically in the last year. The message President Obama has repeatedly said is that if Congress doesn’t act, he will pursue EPA-based regulations. With the Clean Power Plan finalized and going into effect, it appears Republicans are willing to engage on the issue, and offer alternative policies. I think the next year is going to have a lot more significant action on climate policy.
What you can do
Contact your members of congress! Tell them you are concerned about climate change. Ask them to consider co-sponsoring the Gibson Resolution, or to join the Senate working group, or the climate solutions caucus.
Join Citizen’s Climate Lobby (CCL). Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change. Their central policy proposal is a carbon fee and dividend proposal. Both George Shultz and Bob Inglis are on CCL’s advisory board, along with climate scientists James Hansen and Katharine Hayhoe.