Down Ballot Money Part 5: Which Way Does the Wind Blow (Left or Right)?

By Gordon HopkinsIn these hyperpartisan times, nearly every issue can be seen through a liberal or conservative lens. Clean energy, for example, is an issue that appears to have been claimed mostly by those on the left. There is, however, a concerted effort by some on the right to claim the issue as their own.The Conservative Energy Network (CEN), a coalition of right-leaning organizations that advocates for clean energy options such as wind and solar power, was founded in 2016. More than 200 people attended the most recent Conservative Energy Summit, sponsored by CEN, held in Houston, Texas in August of this year. One of the speakers at the event was Drew Christensen, former Republican member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and current senior director of public engagement at Apex Clean Energy in Virginia, who said, “The folks making money from renewable energy projects are conservative and Republican.” In 1999, George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, signed Senate Bill 7, which deregulated the state's electricity market. Christensen noted that Governor Bush included renewable power goals and pointed to that as evidence that clean energy was not always a partisan issue, “Today, every single thing is either red-coated or blue-coated, everything has a partisan angle.” In recent years, there has been an increase in opposition to wind and solar energy in a number of states, including Nebraska. Both Jefferson and Gage counties changed planning and zoning regulations in regard to wind turbines. Decisions such as these are made at the local level, which is part of the reason R.E.D. PAC (Rural Economic Development Political Action Committee) focuses its efforts on down ballot races.According to Tyler M. Duvelius, Director of External Affairs for CEN, “The Conservative Energy Network has no association with the R.E.D. PAC.” However, R.E.D. PAC is funded by an organization called Conservatives for a Clean Energy Future, which is associated with CEN. Duvelius explained to FJN, “The Conservative Energy Network is a 501(c)(3) educational organization and does not participate in any political activities. Conservatives for a Clean Energy Future is an associated 501(c)(4) organization of CEN and is a separate legal entity. Any activities undertaken by Conservatives for a Clean Energy Future are solely determined by that organization's Board of Directors and employees.” According to the most recent available data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), R.E.D. PAC has received a total of $1,481,881 in contributions from Conservatives for a Clean Energy Future since 2023.The chief strategist and chairman for R.E.D. PAC is Charlie Kolean, who has been a conservative advocate for clean energy for many years. In an editorial published in the Lansing (Michigan) State Journal on November 20, 2016, Kolean wrote about the second annual Conservative Clean Energy Summit, “We heard from leaders like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), and others about how clean energy encompasses more than just climate change, and doesn’t need to be a partisan issue. That message resonates with our generation; a generation who cares about sustainability, stewardship, and yes, even the environment. While we aren’t radicals, we certainly feel the need to be responsible with our resources and care for our surroundings, but the conversation goes beyond that.”

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