GOP House "Leadership" On Climate: Trillion-Trees-Man, A (GASP!) Woman & More Of The Same Old Shit
The new Republican leaders for the House Energy & Commerce and Natural Resources committees could help soften the party's image without abandoning largely conservative ideas on energy and the environment. The House Republican Conference is expected to ratify in the coming days Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state and Bruce Westerman of Arkansas as the ranking members on the Energy & Commerce and Natural Resources panels, respectively, for the next Congress.
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McMorris Rodgers has talked about how dams along the Snake and Columbia rivers in her district have allowed for more barges to use waterways, which she sees as a low-emission, eco-friendly transportation option. However, the League of Conservation Voters does not see her as much different from other Republicans who, like her, back an "all of the above" energy strategy that allows room for fossil fuels. "Rep. McMorris Rodgers' abysmal lifetime LCV score of 4% doesn't bode well, but of course it's never too late to stop catering to polluters and get serious about advancing clean energy, environmental justice and climate solutions. Republicans stand in the way of climate progress at their peril," said Tiernan Sittenfeld, the group's senior vice president of governmental affairs.
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Just like many Republicans hope McMorris Rodgers will help soften their party's optics by promoting energy policies other than its traditional focus on oil and gas, allies of Westerman expect the incoming Natural Resources Committee ranking member to emphasize that conservatives care about the environment. Unlike many of his Republican colleagues, Westerman, a Yale University-trained forester, acknowledges climate science.
Ed. - Ooooohhh!!!
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"Republicans are the party of conservation," Westerman told E&E News earlier this fall. "I want to bring Republicans back to conservation. ... There is a hunger to see Republicans taking a lead in more of those issues." One of the planks in House Republican environment platform was Westerman's "Trillion Trees Act," H.R. 5859, legislation that would encourage public-private partnerships to incentivize mass tree-planting as a method of carbon reduction. Democrats have derided that bill as feel-good window dressing that would be largely insufficient for combating the climate crisis. They are also unlikely to be impressed by Westerman's belief in climate change when paired with his stance against the kinds of regulations progressives think are necessary to protect the planet.
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https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063719789