Conservatives promote renewable energy!
While Republican politicians slam Wall Street for its climate initiatives, another group of conservatives is trying to change hearts and minds in rural counties and state capitals about the benefits of the nation’s transition to clean energy.
And in town halls, courts, and state houses across the Midwest, South, and Appalachian states, members of the Conservative Energy Network met with farmers, landowners, evangelicals, and state legislators to convince them that wind, solar, and other forms of renewable energy are useful in preserving their rights and their voices. But the group avoids the term “green energy”. And while its members say they believe what the science says about climate change, “net zero” (or zero carbon) and the Paris climate agreement are not at the forefront of their concerns.
Instead, their message focuses squarely on energy independence, free markets, land rights, and consumer choice. “Quite frankly, our conservative voice has been absent from the political discussions for far too long, especially at the state and local level,” says Brittany Tesler, interim president of the Michigan-based nonprofit. The Conservative Energy Network was founded in 2016 by the late Republican strategist Mark Pescia, who worked in Michigan politics and on the National Republican Congressional Committee.
By 2021, the network was bringing in $7.4 million in donations, according to the most recent tax filing, with funding from groups including the Energy Foundation, which partners with other foundations, including those linked to Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot and the late billionaire hedge fund billionaire Julien. Robertson. One of the biggest challenges facing the Conservative Energy Network is combating misinformation related to renewable energy. “We spend a lot of time trying to convince people that they won’t get cancer from wind turbines,” says Tesler. “We try to neutralize the political toxicity of clean energy issues.”
In addition to seeking to educate domestic and international officials, the Conservative Energy Network has placed advertisements on right-leaning websites, such as the Daily Caller and Fox News, to get its message across. It also polls: the network’s latest poll showed that 80% of American voters want government action to promote renewable energy. The Conservative Energy Network says it works with other conservative groups in 24 states.
Tesler notes that a grassroots project she runs, the Land and Freedom Coalition, works with local officials who have approved renewable energy projects and helped secure permits for wind and solar farms that produce at least 2.8 gigawatts of power. She adds that one of her biggest wins to date has been in Florida, where the Conservative Energy Network and other groups have worked with the office of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to help persuade him to veto a bill that would penalize homeowners who use solar panels.
And in South Carolina, the group leveraged relationships with Republican lawmakers there to help pass the Energy Freedom Act in 2019. Tesler says the conservative energy grid doesn’t always align with donor policies, but we find common ground in our belief in the importance of a clean energy transition. For now, the network says it’s working to educate red state officials on how to benefit from President Biden’s landmark climate law, the inflation-lowering law that passed last year without a Republican vote.
It will allocate about $370 billion to green projects that can connect Americans through renewable energy. As wind and solar projects expand across the country, the Conservative Energy Grid says it will now focus on the land needed to build transmission lines for clean energy projects. As for any impact from the Republican backlash against ESG, Tesler says it’s not happening in “the rooms we’re in.” It’s happening on satellite news, as we develop policies that will be sustainable in the long run.”
Sigil Kishan*
* Journalist at Bloomberg
Published by special arrangement with The Washington Post Licensing and Syndication Service.
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