As published in The Washington Post
The June 10 editorial “The politics of climate” failed to take into account several examples of recent Republican leadership on advancing clean-energy solutions. As a former senator and strong public advocate with a track record of advancing policy in the clean-energy space, I feel compelled to set the record straight and give credit where it is due.
In the Senate alone, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) announced the New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy in March. The five-year, 10-point proposal calls for harnessing the power of U.S. research and technology to put our country and the world firmly on a path toward cleaner, cheaper energy. The detailed policy agenda calls for increasing energy research funding, improving battery storage capacity, advancing carbon capture and electric vehicle technologies, and the pursuit of advanced nuclear reactors, among other items.
Further, the Best Energy Storage Technology Act, which could be key to unlocking the full potential of renewables, was introduced in May by a bipartisan group of senators. Also in May, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced the Launching Energy Advancement and Development Through Innovations for Natural Gas Act, which will drive innovation in carbon capture technologies and make cleaner-burning natural gas even more efficient.
Republicans on Capitol Hill have offered concrete legislative proposals that address climate change.
Kelly Ayotte, Nashua, N.H.
The writer, a former Republican senator from New Hampshire, is a senior adviser to Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions.