House Republicans held a summit this past weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah, to discuss how to position themselves to address climate change in the new Congress, the Washington Examiner has learned.
Rep. John Curtis of Utah organized the summit attended by 25 House Republicans.
They invited outside conservative groups to speak to members, including the American Conservation Coalition, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, and the Alliance for Market Solutions. Those groups held separate panel events to educate members on climate change.
The meeting is the latest in efforts by congressional Republicans to overhaul their party’s climate change platform and messaging to compete with Democrats and the Biden administration. House Republicans are also responding to polls over the last few years that have shown the party is vulnerable among young and suburban voters concerned about the environment and climate change.
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“This is not something Republicans should shy away from,” Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, who attended the event, told the Washington Examiner. “I have tried to really be a voice for conservation, but it’s gaining more traction in the Republican Party,” added Westerman, the top Republican of the House Natural Resources Committee.
The summit was attended by House Republicans from across the ideological spectrum and held over a day-and-a-half this past weekend. Other participants included the top Republicans of various committees: Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Frank Lucas of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Jason Smith of the Budget Committee, and Glenn Thompson of the Agriculture Committee.
Also attending were Rep. Garret Graves, the top Republican on the Select Committee on Climate Crisis, and Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia, a coal state member who has previously introduced carbon reduction legislation.
But other attendees had not previously worked on climate change-related legislation, including freshmen Reps. Blake Moore of Utah and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, along with Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas.
An agenda obtained by the Washington Examiner shows the event featured presentations by officials from the Chamber of Commerce, the conservative Heritage Foundation, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a centrist Republican from Florida who previously introduced carbon tax legislation, also moderated a panel.
Representatives from the National Audubon Society, an environmental group, attended as well.
There was a presentation by conservative pollsters titled, “Changes in political climate addressing climate change,” and another program was called, “Why should Republicans engage in climate solutions?”
Westerman and Curtis, the chief organizers of the event, have been among the Republicans who worked with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy last year to introduce an agenda to address climate change that was focused on promoting innovation in clean energy technologies, including carbon capture for fossil fuel plants and smaller nuclear reactors.
Westerman, a licensed forester who introduced a bill to plant trees to absorb carbon, said that had there not been a pandemic over the past year that diverted Republicans’ planned agenda, the public “would have heard a lot more about our ideas.”
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Republicans intend to contrast their proposals with more comprehensive policies, such as pricing carbon or mandating clean electricity use, that Democrats say are needed to avert the worst consequences of climate change.
Members did not drill down into detailed policy discussion at the climate summit, but Westerman promised future legislative action.
“This is not just something Republicans are going to give lip service to,” he said.
