WASHINGTON – Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) today named U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and U.S. Representatives Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) as the 2023 CRES Clean Energy Champions.
“From advocating for renewable resources like wind and solar and working to achieve meaningful permitting reform to strengthening the resilience of our coastlines and forests, these lawmakers have demonstrated exceptional leadership among their peers—blazing the trail toward pragmatic solutions that leverage America’s carbon advantage, reduce global emissions, create jobs, and deliver affordable and reliable energy,” said CRES President Heather Reams. “I want to thank Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Bill Cassidy and Representatives Bruce Westerman and Jen Kiggans for their efforts to advance clean, affordable, and reliable energy solutions.”
Each year, CRES awards federal policymakers with the Clean Energy Champion award as a testament to their work supporting commonsense clean energy and climate legislation that protects our communities as well as our economy and to celebrate their commitment to building a clean energy future for America. The 2022 awardees were Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa).
Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) is the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has sprawling jurisdiction over energy, infrastructure, and the environment. As a Mountain State native, Senator Capito knows firsthand the government needs to cut red tape, so that emissions will decrease by mining, building, and manufacturing with clean, American resources. To that end, Senator Capito introduced reforms that were signed into law this Congress which will speed up onerous and bureaucratic reviews. Senator Capito also has worked to pave the path towards meeting global climate goals and zero-emission energy generation through her support of nuclear power. The Accelerating Deployment of Versatile Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act of 2023 asserts America as a leader in nuclear energy, updates the regulatory structure around nuclear power, and streamlines the process for building nuclear reactors. The CRES-endorsed ADVANCE Act was recently included in the Senate-passed defense authorization bill.
As the Senior senator from a Gulf state, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) serves as a crucial voice on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for a balanced, all-of-the-above approach to energy development. Senator Cassidy’s support for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was key to securing new investments in American-made clean energy. He recently reintroduced the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems (RISEE) Act, which CRES endorsed because it returns offshore wind revenues to the states for coastal restoration, hurricane protection, fisheries management, and more.
Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) serves as Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee where he has promoted policies to unlock American resources as a means to lower global emissions. He championed the effort to reform America’s broken permitting scheme by introducing and passing into law this Congress significant, bipartisan reforms that put shovels in the ground on clean energy projects across the country. As a career engineer and forester, Chairman Westerman has spent decades advancing scientific solutions to forestry, land management, and natural carbon sequestration. This Congress, he introduced CRES-endorsed legislation, the Save Our Sequoias Act, which preserves America’s wooded assets by unlocking their use for future generations and trap carbon in the world’s best carbon sinks: our forests.
Representing a large part of the Chesapeake Bay, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) is a champion of conservation and clean energy. She was handpicked by her peers to serve as Vice Chair of the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee on the House Natural Resources Committee as a freshman lawmaker. Southeast Virginia offers a wealth of clean power, and Congresswoman Kiggans understands the importance of investment certainty for offshore wind, which supports local jobs and economic growth. Importantly, as a U.S. Navy veteran, she is a proud leader in the House on unleashing America’s energy resources to strengthen national security and lower global emissions. Recently, Congresswoman Kiggans introduced bipartisan legislation to boost environmental education in the Bay region, restore the health of the Bay Watershed, and preserve the Bay’s ecosystems and fisheries for generations to come.