In September, CRES celebrated the convening of the fifth-annual National Clean Energy Week (NCEW) in September – a milestone achievement! Prominent speakers included U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) co-sponsored a bipartisan resolution recognizing September 20-24, 2021, as National Clean Energy Week in the U.S. Senate, and a similar resolution was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressmen John Curtis (R-UT) and Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) alongside 80 bipartisan co-sponsors. The 5th annual NCEW garnered support from 29 states and 21 localities.
Every year, CRES also uses the occasion to select top conservatives who not only stand up for clean energy but go above their call of duty to advance our energy sector with commonsense, economically sound state and federal legislation. These lawmakers are recognized as our Clean Energy Champions at a reception in Washington.
This year’s honorees include U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), who most recently worked to develop and pass the bipartisan Infrastructure package, and Mike Braun (R-IN), who introduced the GCSA, as well as U.S. Representatives Frank Lucas (R-OK), the Ranking Member of the influential House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and John Curtis (R-UT), who founded the House Conservative Climate Caucus.
In October, CRES Forum Vice President of Policy and Advocacy Charles Hernick testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on the challenges and opportunities for international climate action as world leaders prepared to gather in Glasgow, Scotland, for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).
And speaking of COP26… along with ClearPath, CRES launched the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, the Conservative Climate Foundation, to fund a trip and help organize an itinerary according to the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first-ever Republican-only delegation to COP 26. The delegation included U.S. Representatives Garret Graves (R-LA), John Curtis (R-UT), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), along with CRES Executive Director Heather Reams and ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell.
“I think it’s really important to make it clear to the international community that we’re united in efforts to chart a clean-energy future and to reduce emissions globally, meaning united across this nation, Republicans and Democrats,” said Representative Graves, who led the delegation.
That same month, reason prevailed as a number of Republicans supported the commonsense Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), was finally signed into law days after voters surprised the pundits by backing Republicans in state races.
2021 was one for the record books. CRES and the Republican party has so much to be proud of over the past year – onward to 2022!
