Newsflash: Bipartisanship in U.S. Congress. Believe it.
The Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus has been working on climate solutions and have taken action. Formally organized in the U.S. House in 2016 by Floridians, Carlos Curbelo and Ted Deutch, and reorganized in the 115th Congress, the caucus now has 52 members, 26 Democrats and 26 Republicans working collaboratively to find and implement solutions to climate change risks.
They have already introduced a measure to extend tax credits for small scale wind power and geothermal energy, introduced the Climate Solutions Commission Act, which would establish a bipartisan panel to review and recommend economically viable actions or policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and nearly all the Republicans on the caucus voted to reject a last minute anti-climate change amendment to the recent defense authorization bill.
All U.S. military branches describe climate change as a threat multiplier, so thankfully the caucus members helped stop an attempt to take climate actions away from our services.
We know the parties must work together to address climate change, and here is the surprise. Recent polling by Yale University among Republicans found that 59 percent of moderate Republicans favor requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax, and 43 percent of more conservative Republicans agreed. Not really surprising, since preserving pure water and clean air are conservative values.
The Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus is a model that is working in the U.S. House. Please ask our Congressman Pat Tiberi to join this nonpartisan effort to ensure our future prosperity.
— Lindsey Kohlenburg
Mount Gilead
