A growing number of House Republicans are acknowledging that climate change is taking place, that the actions of industries are warming the planet and that the government should do something about it.
They are lining up behind Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, who launched the Conservative Climate Caucus on Wednesday outside of the U.S. Capitol.
“The caucus is a place for Republicans to advance serious climate solutions, but it does not ask them to leave their conservative values at the door,” Curtis said. “Those who watch this caucus will see Republicans do care about this earth — deeply. We, too, want to leave this earth better than we found it.”
At its launch, the new caucus has 52 members, that’s one out of every four House Republicans. The group includes all four of Utah’s House members. They’ve signed on to a list of beliefs that starts with this: “The climate is changing, and decades of a global industrial era that has brought prosperity to the world has also contributed to that change.”
The caucus also believes that efforts should focus on encouraging private sector innovations, that solutions must be global, and that stopping the use of fossil fuels is not their goal, rather, they believe “With innovative technologies, fossil fuels can and should be a major part of the global solution.”
In supporting the new caucus, Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, directed his attention to the energy industry, particularly the oil and gas companies that he represents.
“We cannot continue to vilify our industry that has taken on this challenge, that acknowledges the need to address this,” he said at Wednesday’s news conference. “I represent the northeastern part of Utah, which has a strong focus on energy production. Every visit that I make to these organizations, these companies, these groups, they put me in front of their environmental standards people, they are working on this. They are staying out ahead of this. They are trying to lead the world in addressing this challenge.”
And Curtis also made it clear that any legislation that Republicans in this climate caucus come up with will be crafted to make minimal disruptions in the economy. Republicans have argued that more expansive climate change plans offered by Democrats would hurt businesses and shift some jobs elsewhere. While Democrats have criticized Republicans for ignoring science and refusing to take action on an issue with worldwide consequences.
“We don’t need to kill the U.S. economy to reach our climate goals,” Curtis said. “Republicans will show the need to depart from the shaming culture found in today’s climate dialog and celebrate our successes.”
He has rejected President Joe Biden’s goal to reduce the U.S.’s 2005 emission levels in half by 2030.
The ambitions for this caucus are modest. It is billed as a place to educate Republicans on climate change, a starting point after most party leaders have spent years denying that climate change is a serious phenomenon and rejecting Democratic efforts to respond to it.
Curtis has been nudging his colleagues to craft a conservative response to climate change, including in a February gathering in Salt Lake City. In part, his message has been that Republicans must take action to stay relevant politically.
He has said, “If Republicans don’t make it an issue, we will lose the upcoming generation of Republicans. The upcoming generation will not be patient with us. This is a deal-breaker for them. They’ll leave the Republican Party over this one issue.”
Curtis released a list of conservative groups and energy industry associations that support the new caucus, including the American Petroleum Institute and the National Taxpayers Union.
That list also included the National Audubon Society, with Jesse Walls, the society’s lobbyist, saying, “We are encouraged to see Republican members of Congress continue to engage with the formation of the new Conservative Climate Caucus. We hope they will focus on meaningful solutions that put us on a path to a net-zero emissions economy by mid-century and guarantee a healthy environment for birds and people.”
The Salt Lake Tribune will update this article.
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