How Clean Energy Became a Republican Issue, Too

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

What does it actually take to get Republicans to engage seriously on climate and energy policy? Heather Reams spent nearly a decade working on exactly that question, building bipartisan support for clean energy from inside the conservative movement. Now as we're approaching the midterm elections and everything from data centers to affordability has thrust energy back into the political spotlight, she joins us on Power Perspectives to talk about how to truly build that bipartisan coalition for climate and clean energy action among an ever-changing political landscape.

So Heather, talk to us a bit about the work you did at Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions or CRES. You spent this time bringing climate conversations to politicians who maybe weren't inherently engaged in that on their own. What prompted the need for this and what did that work actually look like in practice?

Heather Reams (0:53)

Climate change and accelerating clean energy is more than a partisan issue. It's a bipartisan issue. It's an American issue. So when one side of the aisle, mainly Democrats, were working on this issue, it seemed like we were just one more meeting the moment. And number two, that Republicans have valuable input into what's going on in terms of clean energy and, of course, the effects of climate change. After all, a lot of the clean energy projects are in red districts. So trying to give them a voice, but even more so an understanding of what's going on in their district. There were times in 2016, 2017, when I would meet with a Republican member of Congress who said, I've never had anyone come in and explain to me the type of economic development and the jobs that are happening in my district. Now, that's not to cast blame. It's just to show that Republicans were on the sidelines to a lot of these conversations. And we know when members are educated, they can at least be more informed. They may not take the vote that we want them to take. Like how we solve complex problems in the United States, Republicans, Democrats, Americans coming together and solving them. That wasn't happening. So that was really the genesis of creating, we call it Crest. And I led the organization for 10 years doing this work.

SPEAKER_1 (2:15)

Great. And we want to definitely dive into more than that. But I know you recently left Crest. I'm curious what prompted that move after, you said, nearly a decade. Yeah.

Heather Reams (2:24)

I mean, 10 years is a long time. And there's a there's kind of a moment right now. I see that there is a time where I think Republicans are there, right? Not saying they're there and they're voting the way one wants to. I know that might make everyone's like here stand on fire, like, wait a minute, and that's not happening. But Republicans are aware of the economic development that's happening in their district. They're aware of where Democrats stand on the issue. There are more nuanced opinions about clean energy and on climate.

Now, we're dealing with accelerated demand. How quickly can we meet the demand along with AI, electrification, reshoring, on-shoring, manufacturing, and it's becoming more of a bipartisan issue. So we're kind of at an inflection point, and I feel like job is done in terms of why I was hired, and it's time to move on.

SPEAKER_1 (3:17)

Fair enough.

And you're right, the conversation has shifted and the work's not done, but it's interesting to hear that from the inside, you think a lot of that work was accomplished. And I'm sure backing that is a lot of incredible stories. And I'd love if you could take us inside the office of a lawmaker where you feel you genuinely changed their mind on these clean energy topics. What did they believe when you walked in? What was the evidence that moved them? And what change were they willing to make afterward?

Heather Reams (3:46)

I can think of two that really stood out to me.

One was Senator Tom Tillis, who had served in the North Carolina Legislature for a long time. I would say he was a denier. He certainly wasn't a believer.

But several years back, there were a number of hurricanes that came through, through the Gulf and then came up through North Carolina. There was also a direct hit in North Carolina as well. And these were like category five, like one after the other. And if you're from a coastal state, you know that category fives just don't happen all the time. And I know there's a conflation between weather and climate. But in this case, the senator was like something's changed. And I'm willing to admit that I was wrong or I need to change my opinion because something's changed. And before an organization like CRUST, there was nowhere for these members to go. Like, okay, I believe in this. What am I going to do? Who am I going to go talk to? Before organizations like CRUST or ClearPath or the American Conservation Coalition, there weren't a lot of places to go. So this was like, okay, can we come in and give you more information? It's not just weather and it's not just coastal. It's all across the United States and in fact, it's all across the world. But this is what's going on in North Carolina to help. And then this is where your committees you're on that are germane to what's going on. So that's, I think, a pretty good example. Another one always supports my friend John Curtis, who started out as a congressman and now as a senator from Utah. I was speaking at a conference and talking about this very point, like Republicans want to say, like the climate's changing and I want to do something about it. Or even if I'm a member of Congress and I want to do something positive for climate and I do something, it's crickets. No one's really saying good job to me. There's not really an apparatus and organizations that are set up to say, thank you, because some of the ecosystem has become so partisan and leaning left that there really wasn't a place for Republicans to go. So I was speaking at this conference with a couple of my colleagues, and I see this member button kind of walking towards me, and I didn't expect any members to be in the audience. And it was Congressman John Curtis, and he said, I believe almost everything you just said, I totally agree with. Can you come and talk to me and my staff about what Crest is, what you're doing, what your goals are? And then from there, I worked with him to create the Conservative Climate Caucus that joined the ranks of over 80 members. Many of the ranking members in that caucus continues today, even though he's in the Senate. Having a place for members to go has been incredibly important. I think now they know that there's a place to go, and that's been important. Of course, that work never ends with new members coming into Congress after every election. But those are just two examples of how these organizations like Crest not existed. Where would members go?