NC conservative: I want more action from DC on climate change | Opinion
I’m a conservative going to DC to tell Congress to act on climate change.
On March 28, I’ll travel to our nation’s capital to deliver an important message to North Carolina’s Republican elected officials: “I’m a conservative, and you should prioritize climate change.”
For some, my passion for this topic will come as a surprise. Often, the loudest voices on climate change are left-of-center. There is a common falsehood that conservatives do not care about climate that is simply not true.
As U.S. Rep. John Curtis of Utah said in a recent interview, “Republicans for too long have told everyone what we don’t like. Now it’s important for us to articulate what we do like.”
Curtis is correct that climate-concerned conservatives must be vocal about the common-sense solutions we know can cut emissions and boost clean domestic energy. Otherwise, how do we avoid big government overreach and make the U.S. economically competitive?
The Republican Party believes that climate change is an important issue to address. North Carolina Congressmen Greg Murphy (NC-03), Richard Hudson (NC-08), Patrick McHenry (NC-10) and Chuck Edwards (NC-11) are members of Curtis’ 76-GOP-member Conservative Climate Caucus. Sen. Thom Tills has told me that he supports “an all of the above energy strategy that balances energy security and industrial competitiveness with climate concerns.”
Like many Americans, I have observed the growing frequency of extreme weather incidents. Such events reached $115 billion in insured losses in 2022. Those and the government FEMA costs are deeply concerning for anyone who values fiscal responsibility.
As a volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, I have been motivated by my conservative values to advocate for less pollution and a stable climate. Growing up in a Republican household, I was raised to respect and protect our natural resources. I feel a duty to leave the earth better than we found it for future generations.
Our modern lives wouldn’t have been possible without fossil fuels, and we can be grateful for that. But with cleaner energy options that do not add to carbon pollution and alter our climate, it’s time to transition in a way that powers America forward.
Conservatives can lead this shift with free-market solutions that boost the economy and bring good-paying clean energy jobs to North Carolina. A well-executed clean energy transition can strengthen American manufacturing as the expansion of renewables attracts billions of dollars to red states.
In North Carolina, we are already seeing how climate innovation can lead to lucrative investments, lower energy bills, and good jobs such as the upcoming VinFast EV plant in Chatham County and Toyota battery plant near Greensboro.
We need to continue to invest in modernizing our existing nuclear plants and removing barriers to innovative ideas like replacing the coal power in existing plants to new small nuclear packages.
The U.S. and our allies are better off when we can’t be bullied by oil countries with a stranglehold over global energy prices. Boosting and strengthening our domestic output is good for local prices and global stability. Furthermore, there is promise in using carbon capture to allow us to burn fossil fuels without greenhouse gas emissions.
Our senators and representatives in Congress can do a lot to ensure conservative climate solutions work for North Carolina, but it is our job to let them know it is a constituent priority. Together, we can ensure that the energy we use to power our economy results in a healthier, cleaner, safer America.