The House GOP’s Energy, Climate, and Conservation (ECC) Task Force launched earlier this year with a six-pillar policy framework oriented around the proven success of conservative energy policies that made the United States the world leader in reducing carbon emissions while increasing productivity.
During the last week of July, a group of House Republicans traveled to Tennessee to tour the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a U.S. Department of Energy facility. The tour covered advanced nuclear energy, grid integration and energy storage, additive manufacturing and exascale computing.
Members who participated in the tour included ECC Task Force Chair Rep. Garret Graves (LA-06), Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) and Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04).
Republicans have always favored and prioritized innovation to keep up with the growing demand for affordable, reliable power to fuel the American economy and provide a high quality of life for families—as well as to help reduce emissions in the energy sector and tackle climate change. Republicans are focused on innovation across all sectors and energy types.
That includes a focus on science and basic research—as well as things like emissions control particularly for methane— investment in small businesses that are the engine of new ideas, job creation, and economic growth. Read more about Republican solutions for American Innovation here.
“It was great to be in Tennessee this week to meet with top scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory who are conducting groundbreaking research on renewable fuels, cybersecurity, and critical materials development,” Rep. Feenstra said. “I was especially interested to learn more about their work to convert ethanol into aviation and vehicle fuels, which directly aligns with legislation I have introduced in Congress to use biofuels like ethanol to power our cars, trucks, tractors, and planes in a cleaner and cheaper manner.”
Recently, the GOP has put special emphasis on nuclear power and national security—both fission and fusion—considering the emerging need to protect against geopolitical threats from potentially hostile nations like China and Russia.
Republicans are betting on Americans to develop climate solutions, not just for deployment here at home, but around the world. They realize that only through the deployment of low-cost, low-emissions technology can we outcompete the world’s biggest polluters—again, China and Russia—and deliver climate solutions to our allies and countries that look to the U.S. for leadership.
NOTE: The ECC Task Force has rolled out its framework for policies in six key issue areas, details of which can be found on CRES blog entries. This includes:
- American Innovation
- Build Resilient Communities
