Conservatives champion environmental stewardship, despite Left’s incessant “exploiter” labeling

In the California Globe, Ken Kurson dispels the ubiquitous post-Reagan myth that progressives care about protecting the environment while conservatives—just don’t. Rather than only criticizing political environmental follies (case in point: CA’s HSR money pit), local free market advocates should endorse beneficial initiatives that maintain the community’s energy sources while upholding global human rights.

The notion that progressives cherish the environment while conservatives care only about exploiting it for profit has taken hold of the American political dynamic so forcefully that it’s hard to remember a time it wasn’t so.

But it wasn’t. …

Congressman John Curtis (UT-03) was just appointed Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security. He is the founder of the Conservative Climate Caucus in Washington, which has quietly assembled a membership numbering over 75 House Republicans. He has used his long record of public advocacy to push back on the notion that only Democrats care about the environment.

“Republicans care deeply about this Earth,” Rep. Curtis told the Globe this week. “I do not know anyone that does not want to leave this world better for their children and their children’s children. It is important to talk about many of the wins we have in the climate and energy space. That includes the Energy Act of 2020 or entering the UNFCCC under President Bush. These were large initiatives, but yet we only talk about what we do not like. Things like the Green New Deal. So we should talk about what we do like and what we are focused on: permitting reform, next generation nuclear, carbon sequestration, hydrogen, and more. We should attack emissions, not energy sources.”

These suggestions seem to be borne out by data. A poll conducted by Frank Luntz on behalf of ACC found that young Republicans (aged18-29) consider nuclear energy the second best option among a list of climate solutions (“renewables” are number one). That open-mindedness underlines the “yes, and” approach Curtis advocates.

Luntz, who conducted the poll, told the California Globe that environmentalism ought to be fundamental to the conservative identity. “Republicans pride themselves in the loyalty to the Constitution. You cannot have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without having clean air, safe, water, and a healthy environment.” He’s referring to the epic line in the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution, but you get the point—conservatives go way back with this stuff….

This article originally appeared in the California Globe. Read the whole thing here.

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