In a bicameral effort to meet the Green New Deal, Republicans on both sides of Capitol Hill launched the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner joined with New York’s Rep. Elise Stefanik and Florida’s Rep. Brian Mast of Florida to lead the caucus in their respective chambers. The caucus will not focus on climate change, but instead on returning Republicans to the conservation and environmental roots laid by President Theodore Roosevelt by tackling public lands issues, wildlife conservation, and environmental degradation of rivers, streams, and animal habitats. Toward that end, the caucus will work on “conservative solutions which are driven by a commitment to innovation, competitive markers, and entrepreneurialism.”
“In Florida, we’ve felt the social and economic consequences of environmental disaster firsthand,” said Mast in a statement. “It’s necessary that we work together to strengthen conservation efforts and protect our environment.”
Separately, regarding climate change, Graham noted in an interview: “There is a growing consensus on our side that man-made emissions are contributing to global warming, that the ‘green deal’ is absurd, and we should be able to find a more appropriate solution to the problem.”