Media tour highlights conservative take on new climate policy
Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, conservative voices have remained critical in the climate conversation, despite the fact that the IRA was a Democrat-only bill. CCL organized a media tour for 2022 Conservative Outreach Fellow Hannah Rogers, who gave interviews in nine states across the country to explain the good things that the Inflation Reduction Act has in store for conservative communities. Hannah appeared on broadcasts for local news stations in Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, as well as two national radio appearances. Hannah explained why the Inflation Reduction Act appeals to her as a young Republican. "It lowers people's energy costs, and that's a huge barrier to climate change mitigation efforts. By 2030, every American household will save around $200 a year, which is huge," Hannah said. "And then also something that's really special for Utah is the bill also has a ton of drought relief, and as a Utahn, we experience a lot of droughts here." Hannah took a moment to reflect on what she would like to see the Republican party do in the climate realm moving forward. “I would like the Republican party to acknowledge climate change exists. A lot of Republicans do, but so often, plenty of people either ignore the problem, or pretend that it’s a hoax, and it’s not. I, as someone on the right, really want someone that I elected into office to represent me and my interests in the sphere of climate.”
In other news this week: • Happy Labor Day: On Labor Day, we celebrate the economic and social achievements of millions of American workers. As of 2021, roughly 3 million Americans worked in the clean energy sector — and thanks to the IRA, that number is about to take a big jump. • Inclusion Conference around the corner: CCL’s Inclusion Conference is just around the corner from Sept. 16-17. One guest is Gen Z climate activist, entrepreneur and writer Zahra Biabani. In her session, Zahra will explore cognitive biases that make it hard for us to be optimistic — especially in regard to our shared environment — and why and how we can and should move past those biases. Interested in this session and others? Check out the agenda here, and register for the conference here. • Weather Geeks: CCL Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli recently appeared on an episode of the Weather Geeks podcast. In this episode, Dana talks to Marshall Shepherd about the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan climate progress. Listen now. • What are CBAMs? Tackling both the climate and economic fairness, the carbon border adjustment mechanism might just be one of the climate solutions with something for everyone. Read more about CBAMs on the CCL blog here. |
