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Wanna talk about climate change? Toss out the litmus test, says Rep. John Curtis

Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis admitted that he used to sidestep conversations about climate change early in his political career, but that all changed once he founded the Conservative Climate Caucus in 2021. Now, he says people need to see past the extremes on both sides of the issue.
Sean Higgins
/
KUER
Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis admitted that he used to sidestep conversations about climate change early in his political career, but that all changed once he founded the Conservative Climate Caucus in 2021. Now, he says people need to see past the extremes on both sides of the issue.

When it comes to climate change, Republicans and Democrats don’t see eye-to-eye.

“When I started [in politics], I wouldn't talk about climate in a town hall meeting if asked, I deferred the question,” said Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis.

“It was just an uncomfortable conversation.”

Today, he’s the founder of the Conservative Climate Caucus — a group of 85 congressional Republicans who will engage in discussions about climate change and energy policy. He’s also the organizer of the Conservative Climate Summit at Utah Valley University, which is in its third year.

“Let's acknowledge that we have people in this room who are on very different sides of this issue, and that's the beauty of what we're doing today,” Curtis told attendees at the Oct. 4 summit.

His advice for bridging the divide on an issue that can sometimes be a political lightning rod for Republicans? Stop trying to make people prove they’re good enough, or pure enough.

“The litmus tests are almost created to make you fail with that in mind. So of course, you're not going to pass it.”

Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis (left) speaks during a panel discussion during the third annual Conservative Climate Summit at Utah Valley University, Oct. 4, 2024.
Sean Higgins
/
KUER
Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis (left) speaks during a panel discussion during the third annual Conservative Climate Summit at Utah Valley University, Oct. 4, 2024.

Utah is in a unique situation as a state whose politics are dominated by Republicans. The Great Salt Lake is a daily reminder of the effects of climate change and Utah’s nearly $2 billion ski industry is keenly aware of what happens when it doesn’t snow. Even so, the state has a notoriety for energy policies still backing legacy fuels, like coal, and its longtime fight over public lands development and ownership.

Summit attendees ranged from The Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind the controversial Project 2025 initiative, to Democrats like former Summit County Councilor and current 3rd Congressional District candidate Glen Wright. He chose to attend because he believes “interacting with the Conservative Climate Caucus is really important.”

While he didn’t agree with everything he heard, there was room for common ground — like a gradual transition to cleaner forms of energy.

“We can't shut off all these [fossil fuel] industries immediately,” he said

“I like what [Curtis] said that by 2050 we are going to be in a new regime where all of our energy is clean. Managing that transition from now through 2050 is going to have a very major impact.”

Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy shared her evolution when it comes to engaging on the issue of climate change and energy policy.

“I was here last year, I just won a primary, I was facing a general election, and I was scared to get on the stage,” Maloy said. ”Now I'm here one year later, I just won a primary, I'm facing a general and I'm a lot less scared.”

For fellow Utah Rep. Blake Moore, the rhetoric around climate change has been “sensationalized to the hilt” by politicians on both sides who aren’t forward-looking enough to have productive conversations.

“We have a lot of politicians in Washington D.C. that think in two-year terms because that's when they're up for reelection,” he said. “It's always the next thing, it’s always the next issue. We need to be thinking in 50 years, particularly on this issue.”

Utah Republican Reps. Celeste Maloy (left) and Blake Moore (right) speak at the Oct. 4 Conservative Climate Summit at Utah Valley University. Moore says the issue of climate change has been “sensationalized to the hilt” by politicians who do not have a long-term vision on the issue.
Sean Higgins
/
KUER
Utah Republican Reps. Celeste Maloy (left) and Blake Moore (right) speak at the Oct. 4 Conservative Climate Summit at Utah Valley University. Moore says the issue of climate change has been “sensationalized to the hilt” by politicians who do not have a long-term vision on the issue.

Despite the air of cooperation, not everyone saw the summit as acting in good faith.

Caroline Gleich, a professional ski mountaineer and climate activist running against Curtis in the race for Utah’s open U.S. Senate seat, called the summit a “distraction orchestrated by the fossil fuel industry.” Her statement added that “Utah doesn’t need more empty talk; we need leadership that delivers.”

Gleich and Curtis will likely get a chance to discuss that record and their differing views on climate change during a debate on Oct. 10.

Sean is KUER’s politics reporter.
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