Last Friday all eyes were on the House Republican Conference as Congressional Republicans overwhelmingly voted New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to the position of conference chair. As the third highest ranking Republican in Congress, Stefanik will be instrumental in helping lead America out of our COVID-19 economic crisis and Republicans back into the majority in the House of Representatives.
Despite the GOP holding minority status in the 117th Congress, the CRES team has been excited by the work of our talented Republican committee leaders. In fact, following last month’s unveiling of the GOP’s Energy Innovation Agenda and infrastructure negotiations at the White House, we were already feeling optimistic about reclaiming some ground for common sense this summer.
But our enthusiasm absolutely peaked with Congresswoman Stefanik’s victory last week.
We have been a fan of Stefanik for years as a steadfast supporter of all-of-the-above energy policies. Her staff is one of the very best to work with on Capitol Hill, and they deliver tangible results for her constituents in New York’s 21st District, including advancing clean energy technologies that have created over 159,000 jobs in the Empire State. CRES was proud to endorse her for re-election last fall, and two years prior, we were pleased to recognize her as a Clean Energy Champions for her contributions to conservative clean energy legislation.
Congresswoman Stefanik has been a steadily rising star in the GOP since she was first elected in 2014, but her standing as a cornerstone of the Republican party was solidified when she served as the first female Recruitment Chair for the National Republican Congressional Committee and established her Elevate PAC. She successfully recruited more than 100 Republican women to run for Congress in 2018, the most ever. This led to the historic “Year of the Republican Woman” in 2020, as she helped a record 36 Republican women get elected to Congress.
Her legislative accomplishments in conservation and energy innovation are truly impressive, especially considering she has only served in Congress for six years. She serves as the House co-chair of the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus and is a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus.
She is the lead sponsor of the Renewable Electricity Tax Credit Equalization Act, legislation that extends tax credits for investments in qualified renewable energy production. She has also co-sponsored a number of measures that will drive energy innovation, create jobs, and strengthen national security, including several gaining momentum in the 117th Congress, such as the Growing Climate Solutions Act, legislation that helps solve technical entry barriers to farmer and forest landowner participation in carbon credit markets, and the Trillion Trees Act, legislation that establishes forest management, reforestation and utilization practices to help reduce carbon emissions.
Last year, she co-sponsored a U.S. House resolution formally recognizing National Clean Energy Week, and she also voted for the landmark Energy Act of 2020, the nation’s first major energy package in more than a decade, which invests in critical research and development that will support wind, solar, hydropower and other forms of renewable energy, encourage U.S. exploration of critical minerals, promote safe and reliable nuclear energy, and advance carbon management and removal.
Congratulations, Congresswoman Stefanik! Everyone at CRES looks forward to continuing our work with you and your team and wish you the very best in your new role!
