Climate Change
Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time and we must take bold action now.
The Republican case for bold action on climate change
Conservatives pride themselves on being good at money. Inaction on climate change costs MORE MONEY. As storms grow increasingly more severe and prevalent, we pay drastically more in disaster relief, infrastructure repair, food prices + more. Benjamin Frankilin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is how we should view climate change. We need to put the “conserve” back in conservative.
Notable Republicans of the Past
The two most consequential environmental presidents in history were both Republicans.
Teddy Roosevelt created the United States Forest Service. He established 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, 4 national game preserves, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments. In total, he protected nearly 230 million acres of land,
Richard Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act into law, created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and signed the landmark Clean Air Act. In total, Nixon signed 14 major pieces of “green” legislation.
"I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us."
Teddy Roosevelt, Republican
The Republican Party Today
The Republican party of today has embarrassingly buried their heads in the sand and avoided this issue altogether. Because many of the solutions require “government action,” Republicans kick the can down the road, embracing climate denial so they don’t have to address solutions. This is a recipe for disaster for which our children and grandchildren will suffer.
Richard Nixon, Republican
Legislation
2016- I introduced Legislative Bill 824, effectively bringing wind energy to Nebraska. Wind farms operating in Nebraska today can generate roughly 1,450 megawatts of electricity — enough to power more than 486,000 homes and meet nearly 15 percent of the state’s total electricity demand in 2017.
Awards
Endorsed by Sierra Club.
Nebraska Conservation Voters award
My Op-eds
Getting Serious About Getting Green (Nov. 20th, 2019)
The Benefits of Wind Energy (Sep. 28th, 2017)