SALT LAKE CITY — Several hundred politicos, activists and organizers have convened each of the last three years at the Orem campus of Utah Valley University for a daylong summit focused on the future of the climate.
Participants network, brainstorm and hear from experts about ways to prevent further warming of the earth’s climate while making sure the U.S. has the energy capacity to sustain the growing demand well into the future. If it sounds like any other symposium of like-minded climate activists, it is, with one glaring difference: The yearly crowd consists of conservatives, or at least people who are interested in pushing for conservative solutions to climate change.
The politics of climate change have generally been anathema to Republicans, with many in the party questioning or openly denying the science of a changing climate. Where liberals talk about the issue of “climate” — seeking to reduce or eliminate carbon emissions — conservatives are more concerned with the issue of “energy” — ensuring the U.S. has access to reliable, cheap power, even if that requires the continued burning of fossil fuels.
For years, Democrats and Republicans alike have shot down one another’s policies, often without any agreement about what the problem is, let alone how to fix it.
That’s where John Curtis comes in.
The Republican congressman from Utah convened the first Conservative Climate Summit two years ago and founded the similarly audacious Conservative Climate Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives to give Republicans a seat at the table on discussions about climate and energy policy. Curtis’ goal, in part, has been to bring Republicans to the table by making the case that protecting the environment is in line with conservative values; and that capitalism and competition are key to achieving a sustainable energy future.
“How can anybody suggest that there’s anybody who doesn’t want to leave the earth better than we found it?” he asked at the most recent climate summit earlier this month. “This is such a core, fundamental — I think — human value.”
‘A totally different party’
Curtis, who was first elected to represent Utah’s 3rd Congressional District in 2017 and is now seeking to replace Sen. Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate, isn’t the first conservative to focus so prominently on the climate.
Many note that former President Theodore Roosevelt signed legislation establishing five national parks and enacted the Antiquities Act, giving presidents authority to create historic landmarks and national monuments. The Environmental Protection Agency — now a common boogeyman in some Republican circles — was created during Richard Nixon’s presidency.
But somewhere along the line, Republicans “dropped the ball on really engaging on climate and clean energy and in protecting the environment,” according to Heather Reams, the president of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, which describes itself as a “right-of center nonprofit organization” based in Washington. Reams believes climate change became especially politicized in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“You saw more and more on the left side politically say … we need more socialistic policies to protect the environment and we need to abandon capitalism,” Reams told KSL.com during Curtis’ recent climate summit. “And Republicans rejected that and ergo, rejected kind of the whole idea of environmental protection as a policy platform.”
Curtis’ detractors — especially those on the Democratic side of the aisle — argue that his efforts are lacking because he doesn’t push to rapidly phase out fossil fuel use. But the congressman insists his “all of the above” approach is key to meeting the nation’s need for energy while transitioning to cleaner forms of energy.
Given years of partisan gridlock in Congress and often narrow majorities on either side, Reams believes that a significant number of Republicans will need to buy in before any major climate legislation is passed. To that end, she thinks Curtis could play a vital role in whatever path the U.S. follows on climate and energy — a role that would be even more prominent should he continue his push in the U.S. Senate.
While climate politics remain broadly divided along partisan lines, Reams said Curtis has been successful in pitching conservatives on a politics that differs from progressive solutions such as the Green New Deal, a high-profile climate proposal introduced in 2019 by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts.
“I think the Green New Deal was actually helpful,” she said. “Well, good, we’re not that, but we could be over here instead. Let’s figure this out. … It’s a totally different party in Washington.”
Political cover for other Republicans
Since its inception, Curtis’ climate caucus has expanded to include 85 Republican members of Congress, far outpacing what Curtis or anyone in his orbit initially expected. But to see his impact, you don’t have to look beyond Utah’s borders.
Several current and former colleagues in Utah’s House delegation credit Curtis for giving them political cover in how they talk about the issue.
“It took political courage,” then-Rep. Chris Stewart said last year. “But you have the demeanor and the respect so you were one of the few people that could do this.”
Rep. Celeste Maloy, who replaced Stewart nearly a year ago, said she was scared to take the stage at the 2023 climate summit, but feels “a lot less scared” this time around.
“I can talk about this so freely because of Rep. Curtis kind of bloodying himself through the wall,” Rep. Blake Moore said. “John was just willing to talk honestly about this issue, and that gave me all the confidence in the world that I could also … bring in my experience, data and realism to this conversation.”
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