A group of Republican Congress members led by Utah Representative John Curtis has recently been introduced as the Conservative Climate Caucus. 

One of the main purposes of the group is to educate House Republicans on climate policies and legislation consistent with conservative values. U.S. Representative for Iowa’s 2nd District Mariannette Miller-Meeks is one of 65 Republicans involved. She gives her thoughts on the newly formed group, “Instead of a top down centralized federal government approach to climate change, that we can utilize the strength that are in all of our communities and within our state. Republicans have conservative solutions to lower emissions while also enhancing economic prosperity. I think it’s very important that our approach does not hamper us from competing globally, in a global economy and allows our economy to grow and create wealth for all of our citizens. There are ways to lower global emissions without sacrificing American jobs and principles. And for me that’s a core principle that needs to be addressed.” 

The Conservative Climate Caucus acknowledges that climate change is a global issue, but believes that China is the greatest immediate obstacle to reducing world emissions. With innovative technologies, they believe fossil fuels can and should be a major part of the global solution. Reducing emissions is the goal but not reducing energy choices.