More and more Republican voters believe in human-caused climate change. And Republican lawmakers are taking action.
Conservative-led carbon-reduction solutions continue to be offered on Capitol Hill and, combined with policies promoting clean energy jobs, could help drive our economic recovery. But more Republican lawmakers need to get on board or otherwise risk being left behind by voters—especially younger ones.
As Congress continues to grapple with meeting the ongoing public health and economic needs of a nation reeling from COVID-19, conservatives on Capitol Hill should be working to put Americans back to work in one of the most high-growth, high-potential fields—clean energy.
Even before the COVID-19 crisis hit, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was pursuing enactment of two major, comprehensive bills with bipartisan support that would reduce carbon emissions, support carbon capture projects and provide funding to build and protect sustainable infrastructure. In the House, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) unveiled a package of clean energy measures with the backing of key committee leaders.
But that was then. Today, more than 33 million Americans are unemployed. While the dynamics have changed, the urgency to create work for those who want it has never been greater.
The facts are the facts: Every state and congressional district in the country benefits from the clean energy sector, which was among the fastest growing over the past decade. Over the last five years, the clean energy sector has kept well ahead of total U.S. employment growth, adding jobs 70 percent faster than the overall economy from 2015-2019 according to a recent report from Environmental Entrepreneurs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects clean energy to be on track to continue that growth over the next decade.
Read Heather Reams’ (Executive Director of CRES) full op-ed in Newsweek