Republicans came to the table on climate this year

In the whirlwind that is our current political environment, you might have missed one particular gust that swept through Congress this year: elected Republicans have shifted dramatically on climate change. The change is due in part to encouragement from conservative voters. Today, we see Republicans in Congress getting engaged on the issue, bringing to the table conservative solutions that protect hardworking Americans and ensure prosperity in our economy.

This year, freshman Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) told the Washington Examiner, “I’m not afraid to talk about climate change. … We’re obviously pumping more CO2 into the air, and there’s a thing called the greenhouse effect.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) agrees, saying, “I’m a Republican who believes the greenhouse gas effect is real, that climate change is being affected by manmade behavior.”

In March, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said there’s “no question that we’re experiencing climate change and that humans are a significant contributor.” Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) said everyone in his agriculture-heavy state of Kansas realizes climate change is happening, calling the issue “obvious.” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who represents America’s largest coal producing state , said, “The climate is changing and we, collectively, have a responsibility to do something about it.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) might have put it best when he posted on Facebook, “I didn’t come to Congress to argue with a thermometer. […] The science of global warming is irrefutable.” In May, Texas Sen. John Cornyn told the Houston Chronicle bluntly, “The days of ignoring this issue are over.”

There’s clearly agreement within the party that climate change needs to be addressed. With that in mind, Republican officials have begun stepping down a path to protect rural Americans and coal communities, stimulate innovation, and use market forces (not regulations) to reduce emissions.

This year, 14 Republicans in the House worked across the aisle on the RECLAIM Act, which would help diversify the economies of coal communities as our country transitions to clean energy. Romney said explicitly that we should “help the communities that are affected by the change in technology: the rural areas, the coal country.” With Republicans engaged in the conversation about climate solutions, we can make sure these communities are protected.

Republicans also supported technological innovations such as carbon capture and storage. The bipartisan USE IT Act had support from more than 25 Republicans in the Senate and the House. This bill authorizes $35 million in competitive prize funding for direct air capture technologies and allocates $50 million toward research and development of technologies that transform captured carbon dioxide into commercial products. The bill passed the Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act this summer. This type of legislation directly addresses our desire to secure America’s place as “a leader in innovation,” as Sen. Graham has said. After all, as Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) says, “We led the world with coal and oil and gas development. Now we need to do it with growing clean energy markets” and cutting edge energy technology.

Republicans are also working to unleash the power of the American free market on the challenge of lowering emissions. Specifically, a price on carbon is a market-friendly policy mechanism that Republicans are coalescing around. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) introduced the MARKET CHOICE Act, which would put a fee on carbon emissions to reduce them, while also eliminating the gas tax and investing in America’s infrastructure.

Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) is an original co-sponsor of Energy Innovation Act (H.R. 763), another innovative, market-driven policy. This bill will put a price on carbon pollution and give carbon dividends to every American. It will give businesses clarity about what choices will be best for the bottom line and for the environment, helping them plan for a prosperous future. At the same time, it makes sure most hardworking Americans come out ahead, with more money in their pockets than before. This bipartisan legislation has 75 co-sponsors in the House.

In addition to the legislation put forth this year, a group of Republican senators is laying groundwork for more climate legislation to come. Senators Braun, Graham, Lisa. Murkowski (R-Alaska), Romney, and Rubio have joined the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus. According to Murkowski, the group will “advance timely, pragmatic policies that will help lower our greenhouse gas emissions and address the threatening reality of climate change.”

I am encouraged that Republican leaders are working on an issue I hold as important. I find that I’m not alone—many other conservatives are concerned about the climate debt we’re passing on to our children, and their concern is showing up in public polling. Luntz Global found that GOP voters, by a two-to-one margin, support the idea of putting a price on carbon and returning carbon dividends to Americans. Young Republicans in particular are eager for this type of conservative climate policy: 75 percent say they support it.

Conservative voters will only get more vocal on this issue in 2020. College Republicans just launched a new advocacy group called Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends, which will lobby Republicans to throw more support behind carbon dividend legislation. On Feb. 4, dozens of conservatives from Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonpartisan advocacy group, will meet with Republican offices on the Hill specifically about climate change. I’ll be among them. 

Republican members of Congress are comfortable acknowledging the problem of climate change now. I’m optimistic we’ll see them address it, while keeping conservative values and priorities front and center.

Jim Tolbert is the Conservative Outreach Director for Citizens’ Climate Lobby. He lives in North Carolina.