GOP Pushes for Nuclear Energy, Natural Gas to Combat the Left’s ‘Green New Deal’

by Charlotte Hazard

While the Democratic Party has often controlled the narrative on the issue of climate change, the Republicans have been promoting alternative options that they argue are more cost-effective and could improve the environment while at the same time strengthening America’s energy independence.

Democratic elected officials have put up some solutions to climate change such as the “Green New Deal” and staying in the Paris Climate Accord, the international treaty that has a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

When President-elect Donald Trump was on the campaign trail, he said he would remove the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement for the second time. The Green New Deal is a progressive climate resolution that was originally put forward in 2019 by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“I will not take the left seriously on climate change until we embrace nuclear,” former Republican Georgia Congressman Doug Collins said on the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “Period. Until we embrace things like hydrogen fuel, nuclear energy…….those kinds of things.”

“Can’t let China and third world countries do whatever they want”

Collins, as well as other conservatives, have objected to the U.S. being involved in the Paris Climate Accord, arguing that the U.S. gets abused and taken advantage of.

“We realize that if America were to stop producing tomorrow, it does not bring into line these global requirements of the ‘Paris Agreement. We can’t let China and third world countries do whatever they want” he said. “These are the kind of things we have to realize that only punish the American economy.”

Collins later added that the U.S. should consider natural gas because it is cleaner and more available than some other options.

Some Republicans such as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum declared that Trump would end the “war on energy” by cutting red tape and cutting taxes.

Energy independence

As President-elect Donald Trump gets ready for his second term, many Republicans expect him to pursue his energy independence plan, meaning using American energy resources and not sourcing them from other countries.

Many Republicans have also spoken out against ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) policies, arguing it destroys energy independence. ESG policies encourage companies to invest to promote progressive causes, such as fighting climate change and increasing diversity, which critics argue prevents the companies from fulfilling their fiduciary duty to their investors.

Founder of the American Conservation Coalition Benji Backer said that a lot of young people do want to use nuclear energy, as well as solar and wind energy.  “Solar and wind can’t do it alone, but neither can the current natural gas and nuclear supply that we have,” Backer said. “So we’re going to need to expand energy in America.”

He added that nuclear energy has the least amount of harm among all the options for energy sources.

One of Trump’s main goals for energy is to make it affordable, have it be low cost and use American energy resources.

“As President, I will set a national goal of ensuring that America has the No. 1 lowest cost of energy of any industrial country anywhere on Earth,” Trump said in a statement. “We will not only match China, we will be cheaper than China by a lot. And more energy will mean lower inflation that will mean more jobs.”

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Charlotte Hazard is a reporter for Just the News.