This week’s must read: Conservatives have a place in environmental movement, too (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) American Consrvation Coalition (ACC) leaders Lily Moll and Preston Poag Jr. write:
“ACC is different from other environmental organizations in many ways, but chiefly because we come from a conservative point of view. We don’t believe that the idea of environmental conservation should be partisan, and we work to engage more conservatives in crucial environmental discussions. Fellow ACC members believe in the power of innovation for American-made clean energy, streamlining burdensome government regulations that hold climate action back and conserving the natural spaces that made America so beautiful.”
(If you’re stymied by a paywall on this one, I’m happy to send the text via email.)
Bob + Benji take the airwaves: Give a quick listen to the conversation below between our own Bob Inglis and ACC founder Benji Backer. They both bring their unique perspectives to the discussion, which you should check out.
The House Climate Solutions Caucus back to its bipartisan roots:
The House Climate Solutions Caucus—originally co-founded by former Florida Reps. Carlos Curbelo and Ted Deutch in 2016—has new bipartisan life under current co-chairs, Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02) and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06).
Curbelo, a Republican, and Deutch, a Democrat, strictly adhered to a Noah’s Ark rule that stated members had to join as bipartisan pairs. That rule was dropped after 2018, and membership of the caucus tilted left. Now, under Garbarino’s leadership, more than a dozen Republicans have joined the caucus, which stands at 58 members, equally divided by party.
“My major focus since taking over the caucus has been on educating and recruiting new members to the caucus and achieving parity,” Garbarino recently noted. “Now that we’re there, our goal is to engage in productive discussions on durable, consensus-driven climate and energy policies that would create good jobs and lower energy costs, while simultaneously reducing pollution and conserving clean air and water.”
Garbarino was a past guest of the EcoRight Speaks. Go back and listen to his episode during our between seasons break!
This week’s must listen: If you miss the EcoRight Speaks, take a listen to the Climate One podcast episode, Green Energy/Red States, featuring our friend, Heather Reams, and past podcast guest, reporter Emma Dumain, joined byTerry Weickum, the Mayor of Rawlins, WY.
ICYMI, Angela Larck’s blog post mashes up our April poll results about technology adoption with a recent interview with Rep. John Curtis about his energy efficient home. For those who like a visual, Angela’s chart above compares what is in Curtis’s home versus what our EcoRight poll takers have personally adopted.