Every day this week, I woke up thinking it was Friday. And every day but today, I was wrong. A long weekend is much-needed, as is the night out of dodge I’m taking in West Virginia with some besties. Before you tune out, tune in to our news of the week.
This week’s must read: Where are the climate Republicans (E&E Daily, written by Kelsey Brugger and Amelia Davidson)
This was a tough article to read, but here are a few key and telling quotes by our allies (all past podcast guests):
“We seem to be in a political retrograde, and yet emissions continue to rise,” said our friend Alex Flint, executive director of Alliance for Market Solutions.
“House members being singled out by the president, in any administration — that’s tough. In this administration, that could be the end of a congressional career: ‘Why should I stick my head out on something that’s not a top voter issue?'” asked Heather Reams, president and CEO of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions.
“On the surface, things appear to be worse,” said former Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo. “Trump 2.0 is definitely looking at climate and energy issues through the lens of the culture wars. Certainly that’s a lot more prevalent in the administration than it was the first time around.”
A conversation with the heart of the EcoRight
Hands down, this episode was the most fun to record.
And not because Alex’s daughter kept entering the video to ask me “s’up” with her too-cool-for-school 7-year old vibe. But because Alex and I know each other so well it was like being on a zoom with my brother.
Alex Bozmoski is the heart of the EcoRight; he’s the fertilizer; he’s the one ensuring its growth. But in case your new to Alex, he is a 20-year veteran of energy and climate policy, and, as alluded to, has spent more than 13 years focusing on building the EcoRight field. Prior to DEPLOY/US, he co-founded us, republicEn.org, a community of EcoRight libertarians and conservatives advancing climate action rooted in free enterprise. He previously developed clean-energy projects in East Africa, consulted for think tanks, authored peer-reviewed articles, worked on several GOP campaigns, and designed and facilitated e-learning courses on environmental economics and policy for World Bank technical assistance programs.
This episode is big on the behind the scenes and you won’t want to miss it!
Coming up next week, for those who couldn’t tune in for Florida Climate Week, never fear as we will run the conversation as a podcast episode. Featuring The Invading Sea’s Nathan Crabbe, the Miami Herald’s Mary Anna Mancuso, Bob Inglis and Tampa Bay Times reporter Max Chesnes, this conversation was riveting.
From one of our members, Beaver Creek Wind Farm: A view worth changing for (Stillwater County News)
A shout out to Alex Amonette, seriously one of our favorite members in the mountain west, for her persistence in writing strong opinion pieces for her local media outlets.
An excerpt:
“I believe the solutions and technologies exist to help us reduce these emissions—clean power, efficiency and storage, and electrification. Over 90 percent of new clean energy like solar+batteries and wind are now cheaper than the cheapest fossil fuel options,” she writes. “Waking up early in the morning, many of us go outside, smell for wildfire smoke, listen to the birds, take care of our animals, and see the red lights from the wind farm. If there’s no smoke, we enjoy the unrivaled natural beauty without fearing breathing in something toxic.”
Bridging the partisan divide, featuring Bob Inglis and Gina McCarthy
This week, Bob participated in a discussion with former EPA Administrator (and Red Sox fan) Gina McCarthy on bridging the partisan divide, an event hosted hosted by The Studio at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health focused on finding bipartisan solutions to climate change during turbulent times.
“Eventually shaky ideologies are overcome by the facts—especially economic facts,” Bob noted. Gina added that it’s important to “ground [the science] by talking about what it means for everyday people’s human needs.”
Speaking of Bob, tomorrow is his birthday! Grab a bowl of oatmeal (or two) in his honor and raise a spoon to the hardest working former Member of Congress. He’s a fantastic boss and he cares so much about our signature issue. He’s also an optimist and will literally talk to anyone about the merits of free market solutions to climate change.
🥳 Happy Birthday, Bob! 🥳
And happy weekend to everyone else (unless it’s your birthday too, in which case, happy bday to you as well).