If you happen to live in this guy’s district, the New York 19th – you might consider dropping him an encouraging note.
December 5, 2014 – A Republican House member is battling the skepticism toward climate-change science that’s common in GOP ranks. And he wants to put lawmakers on record in the process.
Rep. Chris Gibson said Thursday he plans to introduce a resolution on climate change that will help others “recognize the reality” of the situation. Gibson said the extreme weather he has witnessed in his own upstate New York district supports the science, and he wants to be a leader in spurring recognition of changing weather patterns.
“My district has been hit with three 500-year floods in the last several years, so either you believe that we had a one in over 100 million probability that occurred, or you believe as I do that there’s a new normal, and we have changing weather patterns, and we have climate change. This is the science,” said the two-term lawmaker who was reelected in November.
“I hope that my party—that we will come to be comfortable with this, because we have to operate in the realm of knowledge and science, and I still think we can bring forward conservative solutions to this, absolutely, but we have to recognize the reality,” Gibson said. “So I will be bringing forward a bill, a resolution that states as such, with really the intent of rallying us, to harken us to our best sense, our ability to overcome hard challenges.”
Gibson spoke at an event hosted by Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, which is a pro-Republican advocacy group; a PAC that supports Republicans called Concord 51; and the Conservation Leadership Council, a group of conservatives that includes Gale Norton, who was Interior Secretary under George W. Bush. The Environmental Defense Fund helped create the CLC.
Citizens for Responsible Energy:
Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) was joined today by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Representative Chris Gibson (R-NY) for an energy innovation forum titled “Waking Up to America’s Future”, a conversation about free market energy solutions and the policy outlook for the 114th Congress. Sen. Ayotte and Rep. Gibson have shown true leadership putting forward common sense energy solutions that will grow our economy while also preserving our environment for future generations.
The Senator later added, “We’re missing an opportunity as we think about long term energy policy for this country, that will help our economy, that will protect our security, that will protect our environment. And, that’s only going to happen if all the stakeholders come together and we actually are willing to take these issues up in Congress – not just “we disapprove of this” – what’s your alternative? What is your alternative that is going to make a difference, that is going to ensure that we can impose market-based solutions, where we have everyone together, and all the stakeholders together. That’s when we will make a difference, and that is where this discussion has to go. If we continue the either/or discussion, we are not doing what we should do for the United States of America, and the opportunities we have in this great country.”
Representative Gibson spoke on a range of topics, including the need for common-sense conservative policies to reduce emissions, and the need to find ways to work across the aisle on an issue that is important to both parties – preserving the country for future generations. As the congressman said, “This work that we do together to lower energy costs while preserving our environment, I think is essentially an American problem. It’s not a partisan issue, it’s not a Republican, it’s not a Democrat issue, it’s one for all of us to tackle. I truly believe by working together we can absolutely make progress on that.”
I guess we will have to see if Congressman Gibson’s rational ‘genes’ will become fixed in the population of Republican legislators before we can conclude that ‘evolution’ has occurred.
Right now he is just a mutation, and likely self-limiting. But we can always dream….
From: Claire Cortright who lives in Congressman Gibsons District
To: All ClimateCrocks memebers/readers.
I live in Congressman Gibson’s district. And I, along with other members of CCL, have been lobbying him for a while. This announcement comes after an election year in which both candidates addressed the revenue neutral carbon fee and dividend and CCL. His position is partly due to his military background, I think. But the impact of good old fashioned lobbying and pushing the discourse cannot be discounted. Regardless of how backward you think your legislators are, write to them, write to the editor, call them. You will be lobbying the voters as much as the legislators. We must change the conversation now, in anticipation of 2016.
Also, whether you live in the 19th district of NY or not, please consider writing to Rep. Gibson to thank him and let him know you will be contacting your own rep to ask them to support his resolution.
This move is a bold step for any congressman, nevermind a Republican. He will need the support of everyone, even dyed-in-the-wool liberals like me.
Sincerely,
Claire Cortright