It literally takes a Noah’s ark to change minds in Congress. Let me explain. When I started working at FCNL nearly five years ago, it was hard to find a Republican member of Congress who would talk publicly about climate change.
However, we knew that bipartisan acknowledgment of human-caused climate change, which is already devastating communities, was essential to create the space for dialogue and action.
For years, FCNL advocates have urged Congress to acknowledge the realities of climate change and to act. We persistently asked Republican legislators questions like: What kind of world do you want to leave to your children and grandchildren? What does your own faith lead you to believe about caring for God’s Creation?
The strategy worked. In 2014, then New York Republican representative, Chris Gibson, drafted a climate resolution after meeting with one of FCNL’s interfaith delegations. Along with 10 other Republicans, Rep. Gibson introduced H. Res. 424, Expressing the Commitment of the House of Representatives to Conservative Environmental Stewardship, one week before Pope Francis’s September visit. The resolution acknowledges that humans are causing climate change and calls on Congress to address its effects.
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The Gibson Resolution led in part to the formation of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus (CSC) in February 2016. The caucus, founded by Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R, FL-26) and Ted Deutch (D, FL-22), adheres to a Noah’s Ark principle. A member can only join the CSC together with a partner from the other party.
The CSC educates members on economically viable policy options to reduce climate risk. Just as important, it serves as a space to explore legislation to address the impacts, causes, and challenges of climate change. While joining the CSC is not our end goal, we see it as an important tool in cultivating a pro-climate bipartisan voting bloc in Congress and building trust and relationships across party lines.
The growth of the CSC demonstrates that our years of grassroots lobbying is paying off. Since the 115th Congress, the caucus has grown from 20 to 84 members. With this growth, the CSC has begun to flex its political muscles.
Last year, CSC members voted against an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which would have prevented the Pentagon from researching and addressing climate change. Caucus members were also key in getting several renewable energy tax credits signed into law earlier this spring.
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Through the Quaker Welcome Center, FCNL continues to cultivate the bipartisan space for dialogue and trust-building. In the past six months, we have hosted two bipartisan climate dialogues between CSC members. One featured Rep. Ryan Costello (PA-6) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA-18), and the second featured Rep. John Faso (NY-19) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA-47).
We are now moving closer to a time where bipartisan climate legislation has traction, so we are shifting our focus toward proactive solutions. We are helping support bills coming out of the Climate Solutions Caucus, including the Challenges and Prizes for Climate Act (H.R. 5031), which promotes the development of innovative climate solutions at the Department of Energy, and the Transparency in Energy Production Act of 2017 (H.R. 4126), which requires the Department of the Interior to publicly disclose the amounts and sources of greenhouse gas emissions from public lands.
We are also delving deeper into more robust climate policies by asking questions like: What would a just carbon pricing system look like? How can communities most impacted by natural disasters, especially communities of color and low-income communities, become more climate resilient?
These are questions that members of Congress from both parties are also asking now. This change is in large part thanks to the persistent lobbying of FCNL advocates like you. I invite you to continue this work alongside FCNL to cultivate bipartisan support for climate action in Congress.
