Today, as never before, our nation and the world face daunting environmental challenges related to energy consumption and climate change. Unfortunately, at a time when concern about these problems is growing rapidly among rank-and-file Republicans, many GOP lawmakers are impeding progress. Changing the party stance on these issues must be a national imperative.
Since 1995, Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP America) has worked to resurrect the GOP's great conservation tradition and to restore natural resource conservation and sound environmental protection as fundamental elements of the Republican Party's vision for America.
REP America is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization dedicated to convincing Republican Party voters, leaders and elected officials that promoting sound policies to protect our environment and conserve our natural resources is both smart long-term politics and vital to America’s long-term security, prosperity, and quality of life. We advocate practical methods to achieve these goals while adhering to the basic Republican principles of fiscal responsibility, smaller government, free markets and personal accountability.
With its decade of experience, dedicated volunteer leaders and staff, active membership, strong reputation and established track record of success, REP is well positioned to help awaken our party to the importance of environmental issues. However, to fully encourage Republicans to acknowledge and address America’s environmental challenges, REP must become larger, stronger, more visible, and even more effective.
Over the next four years, REP must:
- Build intellectual capital by advancing genuinely conservative arguments for environmental protection and crafting conservative solutions to environmental challenges.
- Grow a broader grassroots base by significantly growing our national network of conservation-minded Republicans, and strengthen the effectiveness of our grassroots with better organization and increased local presence by growing and invigorating our state chapters.
- Increase the nationwide visibility of REP and the support for its compelling Conservation is Conservative message through both traditional and new media.
- Elevate the political importance of the environment by recruiting and supporting conservation-minded Republican candidates.
REP has developed the following action plan to accomplish the tasks listed above between 2006 and 2010, which will require approximately $4.5 million in additional resources over the next four years.
NOTE: Items marked ** can be funded with tax-deductible contributions to our 501(c)(3) sister organization, ConservAmerica.
Working with ConservAmerica, REP America will:
A. Build the intellectual foundation of our Conservation is Conservative message
Conservation and the responsible stewardship of our natural resources are inherently conservative values that have their foundation in the writings of great conservative thinkers such as Edmund Burke, Russell Kirk and Richard Weaver. Still, there is the widespread public perception that conservation and environmental protection is a liberal cause. This myth must be dispelled in order make the environmental policy debate less polarized and make responsible environmental protection, as President Nixon said, “a cause beyond party and beyond factions.”
A concerted effort is needed to re-establish conservation as a conservative idea and to make the case for sound environmental policies from a conservative perspective. REP has been working at this since the organization’s inception, but turning around a widespread perception that is constantly being reinforced by Democrats, Republicans and the media requires a more robust and comprehensive effort.
REP needs to further build and promote the intellectual case for its conservation is conservative message, create intellectual capital by formulating genuinely Republican approaches to environmental issues, employ conservative arguments to challenge anti-environmental rhetoric and undermine its impacts.
To accomplish that, we must:
- Produce and distribute a series of new publications targeted at traditional Republican constituencies that will frame current environmental challenges in a conservative context, offer conservative solutions, and build support for meaningful action. Est. cost: $100,000 **
- Enhance C.E.P. (Conservative Environmental Policy) Quarterly to include more articles, improved design elements, greater distribution and more frequent publication, with the goal of eventually publishing it monthly and having a targeted newsstand presence. (At some point this will require additional staff.) Est. cost: $150,000 **
- Create a speakers bureau of Republican/conservative writers and speakers who can be tapped to authoritatively spread the Conservation is Conservative message and promote conservative approaches to environmental problems through media outlets, journals and events. Est. cost: $10,000 **
- Organize conferences to educate key conservative constituencies on issues of national and regional significance. Est. cost: $80,000 **
- Educate Members of Congress, staff and media through regular issue briefings, white papers and displays. Est. cost: $25,000 **
- Participate in the Republican National Committee’s platform deliberations and have an exhibit space at the 2008 National Convention. Est. cost: $15,000
Total Estimated Cost: $380,000 over 4 years
B. Grow and Strengthen Our Grassroots Network of Conservation-minded Republicans
REP needs to build a broader grassroots membership base to more effectively encourage and/or pressure GOP lawmakers to support conservation and responsible environmental policies; to improve the representation and influence of conservation-minded Republicans in the national, state and local party organizations; and to foster the recruitment and election of Republican candidates from their ranks.
The amount of political pressure that we can exert—and the quantity of PAC money that we can raise—is directly related to the size of REP’s membership. So we must boost our national membership ten-fold or more and broaden our base through targeted outreach to core GOP constituencies: suburban Republicans, business leaders, sportsmen and –women, farmers, ranchers, and religious congregations.
We must concentrate especially on growing our membership in battleground states that the GOP needs to win in future elections (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, New Mexico, Michigan, Minnesota, Washington), to give REP greater influence in those states and provide a more insistent voice to demand that GOP candidates address environmental concerns.
In addition, to have broad visibility and influence within the Republican Party, it is critical that REP members be fully involved in issues and political campaigns at the local and state levels, especially in battleground states. REP members have greater access to candidates and public officials at the local and state levels, and will be well positioned to identify and work with promising conservation-minded candidates early in their careers. By increasing the number and effectiveness of our state chapters, REP will expand its effectiveness and the reach of its voice within the Republican Party at all levels.
To accomplish that, we must:
1. Hire a membership director to oversee all membership development and retention efforts. Estimated cost: $160,000 during 2007-2008 (After 2 years, this position will be supported by revenue generated by increased membership and donor base.)
2. Conduct large-scale outreach efforts to identify and recruit green GOP voters.
- Develop large mailing lists of green GOP voters.**
- Identify and rent existing mailing lists that likely contain a high percentage of green GOP voters.
- Thoroughly test all mailing lists and track performance.
- Conduct targeted direct-mail, email, and phone campaigns.
- Re-invest most of the income from membership campaigns into membership growth.
Estimated cost: $500,000—800,000 over 4 years
3. Establish and maintain a presence at a minimum of 20 targeted events across the nation each year. Such events would include local, state, and national GOP gatherings, hunting- and angling-oriented consumer shows, travel and tourism shows, etc.
- Purchase four mobile displays to facilitate effective tabling at events.**
- Hire temporary staff (preferably from membership) on an as-needed basis to augment event coverage when the coverage needs exceed the ability of existing staff or volunteer leaders to provide it.
- Travel, shipping, registration fees and other related expenses.
Estimated cost: $150,000—$225,000 over 4 years
4. Expand our current network of ten state chapters (California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington) to twenty-five, focusing on battleground states and/or states with key constituencies that can swing elections and influence federal legislation.
Estimated cost: $50,000 over 4 years (does not include the cost of growing the membership)
5. Provide ongoing leadership, activist, and media training to chapters.**
Estimated cost: $100,000 over 4 years
6. Provide support grants for state-specific combined publicity and outreach campaigns, to help our chapters attract more members and develop their own donor bases.
Estimated cost: $150,000 over 4 years
7. Energize and support our chapters by eventually hiring up to five full-time regional organizers, covering the Pacific, Southwest/Rockies, Midwest, Northeast, and South/Southeast.
Estimated cost: $400,000 during 2008-2010 (for salaries, benefits, & travel expenses)
Total estimated cost: $1,510,000—$1,885,000 over 4 years
C. Increase Our National Visibility and Build Support Among Rank-and-File Republicans
To change the Republican Party’s attitude on environmental issues requires that REP and its Conservation is Conservative message capture the hearts and minds of rank-and-file Republicans. Polling data shows promising trends in Republican voter attitudes toward environmental protection, but progress is being impeded by anti-environmental rhetoric.
REP must be highly visible and constantly engaged on the battlefield of ideas with those who peddle irresponsible policies that diminish the environment. REP has enjoyed favorable media attention during its first decade, but proactive, focused efforts to expand our media outreach is necessary for building support for our message and strengthening our influence.
To accomplish that, we must:
1. Hire an electronic communications specialist to build influence within key constituencies by:
- Significantly upgrading and maintaining our web site to allow REP to be a more active player in the pre-election political discussions within battleground states.
- Growing REP’s and ConservAmerica’s email distribution lists far beyond our paid membership and donor base.**
- Building and maintaining a constant, visible, and vocal presence in the “blogosphere,” injecting our Conservation is Conservative message wherever possible.**
Estimated cost: $320,000 over 4 years
2. Hire a public relations specialist to:
- Improve our ability to generate human-interest features about local REP members and policy- and/or campaign-oriented articles in the media.
- Coordinate placement of member-written and/or signed opinion pieces in local and regional media, both print and electronic.**
- Coordinate guest appearances by REP national and state leaders on radio and television interview programs.
- Coordinate production and distribution of template letters to editors and blog postings for members to send.**
- Organize and promote a REP Speakers’ Bureau in key states, to allow our conservation-minded Republican message to compete effectively with anti-conservation messages as elections approach.
Estimated cost: $320,000 over 4 years
3. Conduct major national, state and district polling of Republican voters and various conservative constituencies—using polling firms with GOP credentials—to better understand opinions related to current environmental challenges/solutions, to refine REP messaging, and to document where the party leaders have positions that are at odds with rank and file Republicans. Employ state-specific polls in key battleground states.
Estimated cost: $60,000 in 2007
4. Market our Conservation is Conservative message to key GOP decision makers and conservative constituencies through strategic advertising campaigns using a variety of messaging vehicles (display ads, I-films, web/blog banners, print ads, etc).**
Estimated cost: $50,000 over 4 years
Total estimated cost: $750,000 over 4 years
D. Elevate the Importance of Environmental Issues in the Coming Elections
The greatest catalyst for realizing positive change within the Republican Party is for REP to be a force in electing and re-electing conservation-minded Republican candidates for public office and making the environment a high-priority issue for Republican voters. By doing this we will make all Republican elected officials and candidates more sensitive to environmental concerns.
To accomplish that, we must:
1. Hire a political director to take charge of all our political activities:
- Running REP PAC and the 527 REP Conservation Fund
- Organizing our 2007 Republican Environmental Summit (see below)
- Conducting outreach to campaigns early in each election cycle
- Developing endorsement questionnaires and evaluating responses
- Writing candidate endorsements
- Raising funds for REP PAC and the 527 REP Conservation Fund
- Directing REP’s “bundling” efforts
Estimated cost: $320,000 over 4 years
2. Hold a “Republican Environmental Policy Summit” in October, 2007, in San Antonio. This three-day forum will provide opportunities for Republican candidates at all levels— and their staffs—to meet with REP leaders, staff and volunteers; grow more skilled and persuasive in their communications, especially with Republican audiences, about environmental and conservation issues; and solicit REP’s endorsement.
- Start the planning process by consulting closely with the staffs of all likely GOP presidential candidates to discern their level of interest and the likelihood of their participation, and to encourage the candidates’ attendance on at least one day of the event.
- Promote the event heavily to GOP candidates at all levels.
- Invite leaders of other conservation groups with conservative memberships (Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Alliance, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, etc.) to attend and speak.
- Invite leaders of religious congregations to attend and speak.
- Offer seminars for candidates and their staffs on how to address specific, timely environmental issues from a conservative perspective.
- Solicit candidates’ opinions and philosophies about conservation issues in preparation for a major press campaign.
- Attract outstanding national media attention.
- Build relationships that will allow REP to serve as an ongoing information resource to endorsed candidates.
Estimated cost: $75,000 in 2007
3. Develop and distribute a “Republican Candidate’s Training Kit” designed to teach candidates to address key environmental issues with genuinely conservative and pro-conservation arguments. This kit will be unveiled at the October 2007 Republican Environmental Policy Summit and used in 2008 and later years.
Estimated cost: $20,000 in 2007
4. Expand our capacity to support conservation-minded Republican candidates to a minimum of $500,000 per election cycle.
Estimated cost: $1,000,000 over 2 election cycles
5. Hold Republican elected officials accountable for their performance in office through fair and constructive reinforcement – both positive and negative.
- Build on the success of the REP 2005 Congressional Scorecard by publishing new editions annually and increasing its public visibility. The Scorecard tracks how Republican members of Congress vote on key environmental issues and also assigns credit for significant acts of environmental leadership. Estimated cost: $10,000 over 4 years
- Develop an awards program—featuring well-attended and -publicized thank-you events—to acknowledge Republican environmental leaders at the national, state and local level.
Estimated cost: $75,000 over 4 years
Total estimated cost: $1,500,000 over 4 years
This is an ambitious agenda that will require significant additional resources. But it’s necessary if Republicans are going to continue to lead America and exercise true leadership to tackle and solve environmental challenges. REP has demonstrated over the past decade that environmental issues are central to the Republican Party’s future and that Republicans can, and must, lead on these issues.
Now is the time for Republicans for Environmental Protection to change the terms of the debate, both in Republican circles and in the nation as a whole.
