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This year, 2022, is set to be a pivotal one for the American experiment.
The President Biden’s agenda is in limbo, midterm elections are approaching after potentially transformative redistricting, turmoil at the Russian-Ukrainian frontier, and the backdrop a continuing pandemic. There are many issues that Americans want Washington prioritize.
Particularly for Republicans, 2022 offers many opportunities to show the alternative to Biden’s first year as president marked by confusion messaging, inflation and supply chain challenges.
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Without a doubt, Republicans are preparing to demonstrate that not only can they govern better, but they will also work on the issues that Americans care about the most. This includes the economy and national security as well as the environment. Even Trump, a former president, was not a champion for environmental protection. However, he understood that all Americans want clean water and air for their children and future generations.
The Environmental Protection Agency was established by President Richard Nixon, a Republican.
(AP Photo/File)
Republicans were once the party of environmental champions. Richard Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency, while George H.W. Bush signed key amendments to Clean Air Act. The National Park Service was founded by Ulysses S. Grant and Teddy Roosevelt. The legacy of the National Park Service has been largely ignored by Republicans over the past 30 year. They opposed the Lefts strategy for climate alarmism as well as big-government environmental programs.
To be clear, Republicans Should Oppose the Green New Deal and other top down initiatives. Protecting the environment does not have to be equated with increasing government size. The Left’s approach to protecting the environment has failed repeatedly. The most recent example was the Build Back Better Act, which caused a bitter split in the Democratic Party and led to no concrete climate action..Germany, across the Atlantic, is the perfect example of the failure to follow a top-down, government-led approach.
There has been a noticeable shift in Republican attitudes towards environmental issues over the past few decades.
This is becoming more apparent to elected Republicans. There has been a shift in Republican attitudes towards environmental issues over the past few decades. The Great American Outdoors Act of 2020 and the Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021 are just a few examples of Republican members in Congress who have made significant contributions to environmental protection. Although they may not always receive the same recognition that Democrats get for their environmental work in Congress, Republicans like Reps. Bruce Westerman from Arkansas, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington, John Curtis (Utah) and others have been leading this issue for many years.
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Republicans don’t follow the Democrats’ example and take a different approach to the environment. Republicans value harnessing American ingenuity and using balance government action to achieve positive outcomes on the planet. They support a mixed energy approach, which encourages renewables while also acknowledging the realities of a transition to clean energy. Republicans have also been champions of nature-based solutions to climate change, such as sustainable agriculture practices or the simple act of planting trees. This is something 90% of Americans support.
Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Minority Leader, planted the flag with his Energy Innovation Agenda last spring.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin/File)
Further, the Republicans are the ones who support nuclear energy. A key building block for a clean future is nuclear energy, especially small modular reactors. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), nuclear power construction and lifetime CO2 emissions are about a quarter of those of solar power and only 1/700 of that of coal. Importantly, it is possible to retrofit coal-fired power stations to become nuclear power plants. This is what Wyoming is doing right now.
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This trend is certain to continue into 2022, there’s no doubt about that. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Minority Leader, raised a flag with his Energy Innovation Agenda in April. Curtis’s Conservative Climate Caucus was formed last year and is currently the second-largest House caucus. Republicans have the perfect opportunity, with President Biden’s Build Back Better Act almost dead, to continue their momentum and present the American people a better way forward in climate change. This doesn’t include clunky government programs or misuse of tax dollars.
Theres little doubt Republicans will retake the House in November, and with it, they can retake the environmental conversation in this country, making 2022 the year of conservative environmentalism.
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Benji Backer, the founder and president at the American Conservation Coalition is the nation’s largest conservative environmental group.
