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"Sen. Lindsay Graham was one
of the first Republican senators
to take climate change seriously.
He joined Sen. John McCain on
fact-finding trips to Alaska and
Greenland, where he witnessed
first-hand the impacts of climate
change on those areas.

Gov. Mark Sanford, in a Washington
 Post column last year, called on
 fellow conservatives to provide
real leadership in addressing climate
 change. Upstate Congressman Bob
 Inglis echoes that call and
has been vigorously promoting new,
 cleaner energy technologies
that can be manufactured
in South Carolina.

These Palmetto State conservatives
recognize that South Carolina is
particularly vulnerable to the
impacts of climate change, and
that it is also well-positioned to be
part of the solution. With the
emergence of Sen. McCain
as the GOP nominee for president,
conservatives have a unique
opportunity to answer the call to
climate leadership and finally stop
ceding this important issue to
liberals."

 

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Graham can play key role for climate, party
By REP President Martha Marks, published in The State, Columbia, S.C., on May 31, 2008

You wouldn’t know it from listening to today’s political rhetoric, but environmental stewardship is not the political preserve of liberals. It is a conservative idea, rooted in the Bible and validated by Republican achievements dating back to Theodore Roosevelt.

Stewardship of our life-sustaining climate is no different. South Carolina is fortunate to have conservative leaders who understand this and are urging fellow conservatives to join them in finding effective solutions to climate change.

Sen. Lindsay Graham was one of the first Republican senators to take climate change seriously. He joined Sen. John McCain on fact-finding trips to Alaska and Greenland, where he witnessed first-hand the impacts of climate change on those areas.

Gov. Mark Sanford, in a Washington Post column last year, called on fellow conservatives to provide real leadership in addressing climate change. Upstate Congressman Bob Inglis echoes that call and has been vigorously promoting new, cleaner energy technologies that can be manufactured in South Carolina.

These Palmetto State conservatives recognize that South Carolina is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and that it is also well-positioned to be part of the solution. With the emergence of Sen. McCain as the GOP nominee for president, conservatives have a unique opportunity to answer the call to climate leadership and finally stop ceding this important issue to liberals. Key to seizing this opportunity is the passage of a market-friendly cap-and-trade bill, such as America’s Climate Security Act (S.2191), introduced by two McCain allies, Sens. John Warner and Joe Lieberman. Many liberals are starting to shift their focus away from a cap-and-trade approach and toward carbon taxes, which they see as a new honey pot for expanding government programs. That’s the wrong approach.

Now is the time for conservatives to follow Sen. McCain’s lead and aggressively embrace the proven cap-and-trade approach, which was successful in reducing the acid rain problem.

The Warner-Lieberman bill (S.2191) will likely be brought up for a vote in the coming weeks. It represents the only chance to pass a cap-and-trade bill before the November election. By rallying around this legislation and securing its passage, conservatives can ensure that America chooses a truly market-friendly solution to climate change. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate real leadership on an issue that is important to swing voters who likely will decide the presidential election.

Perhaps no one is better positioned to make this happen than Sen. Graham. By working hard to build support for a good cap-and-trade bill among his fellow Republican senators, Sen. Graham can help the GOP reclaim its stewardship mantle going into the election. But climate leadership is about much more than politics. It is about our responsibility to be good stewards: to leave to our children a world, as Ronald Reagan said, “not impaired, but enhanced.”

And the truth is that-when it comes to climate change, South Carolina has a great deal at risk.

Families who live and work along the coast and lowlands will have to deal with rising sea levels and the risks of stronger hurricanes. The increased threat of flooding and storm damage already is causing insurance rates to rise. South Carolinians will experience hotter summer temperatures, unpredictable seasons and more extreme weather patterns.

Dealing with climate change is not only about protecting us, however. It is also about opening up new economic opportunities. The cap on carbon emissions will create new energy markets and new alternatives to our carbon-dependent economy and Middle East oil dependency. These new markets will emerge as the private sector is encouraged to invest in other sources of energy that don’t give off large amounts of greenhouse gas pollution like coal and oil do.

Many S.C. companies are developing hydrogen fuel cell technology. Under a carbon cap, many analysts believe that hydrogen-based technology will be a lucrative area of investment, bringing more high-tech, high-wage jobs to South Carolina.

But for us to enjoy these economic opportunities and protect ourselves from the worst effects of climate change, our conservative leaders must seize the leadership opportunity that is before them and pass America’s Climate Security Act this year.