And … action!
Of lights, lime and electric
ONE OF the things you’ll find different about Bruce Westerman is his seeming aversion to the limelight. He’s a rare politician who won’t knock you down to get in front of the cameras. Yet he’s no piece of political furniture, either.
Should the GOP retake the House of Representatives in November, and Mr. Westerman win (expected) re-election next month, Arkansas’ 4th District representative would chair the important Committee on Natural Resources, on which he serves as ranking member and through which much environmental policy is channeled.
If Republicans win back control of the House this midterm, Representative Westerman may find limelight whether he wants it or not. Climate change and environmentalism having reached obsession status among some in Washington, and the committee’s work would be even more scrutinized with Republicans in charge.
Yet Bruce Westerman is a self-professed conservation conservative, the only licensed forester in Congress. He earned a degree in biological and agricultural engineering from the University of Arkansas (where he played football) and a master’s in forestry from Yale. (Before Bruce Westerman came along, who knew that Yale offered forestry classes?) From his days as an Arkansas state representative, Bruce Westerman has prioritized conservation.
Publicity found him the other day in The Washington Post’s “The Climate 202” blog, eager to record this unicorn sighting for its green followers. Representative Westerman told the blog’s Maxine Joselow that his committee would offer no exception to planned GOP oversight of the Biden administration. Which is, you know, Congress’ job.
Specifically, he wants oversight of the Interior Department’s new five-year plans for offshore oil and gas leasing in federal waters. These plans, not yet finalized, could ban all new drilling.
But this summer, President Biden opened the door for future drilling in the Gulf and off the coast of Alaska. If the GOP takes back the House, that door could be opened wider.
The blog noted that Bruce Westerman is willing to work with Sen. Joe Manchin on a bipartisan bill to overhaul the nation’s permitting process for energy projects. Mr. Manchin’s reform bill had been included in the Biden government funding package in exchange for the senator’s support but was dropped at the last minute.
Therefore, Representative Westerman said he’s optimistic of Senator Manchin’s support for a bill he introduced last year with GOP colleague Garret Graves of Louisiana: the Building U.S. Infrastructure through Limited Delays and Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act. The legislation would speed up project reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, but so far hasn’t attracted any Democratic support.
In response to the blog’s expected litmus test, Bruce Westerman acknowledged humanity’s role in quickening climate change and voiced his support for “natural climate solutions” such as planting more trees and sequestering carbon in soil.
He also spoke plainly about what really separates most Republicans and Democrats regarding climate change and the trending notion that the world faces catastrophe if carbon emissions aren’t virtually eliminated in 10 years.
“Where Republicans and Democrats differ a lot is Republicans realize the numbers show that you can’t just wave a magic wand and get rid of all fossil fuels,” he said. “Do I think we’ve only got 10 years left? No. I think we’ve got a lot longer left.”
We look forward to the limelight finding Bruce Westerman more often. Washington, D.C. is a town in which you are either a Climate Denier or a Climate Extremist. Imagine finding common sense, common ground, and common decency in somebody who believes “conservation is conservative” and is willing to work to fix things—not just work the issue for the next election.