The Conservative Climate Caucus provides proof that bad ideas can flourish on both sides of the political divide. Senator John Curtis (R-Utah), who was its originator and first chairman, professes free market tenets, but has a strange interpretation of what that means in practice.

Economists from Adam Smith to Milton Freedman have viewed state subsidies, mandates, and tax breaks as a form of protectionism that is anathema to any free market. Curtis and his fellow caucus members do not see it that way when it comes to climate. From their prospective, the climate industry deserves the support and protection of the state.

I am sure that many of the caucus members accept the dubious claim that we are in a climate emergency. In addition, many members believe that state-mandated green energy is good for the economy, especially those from states with a strong wind or solar lobby. They preach that we need to diversify our energy sources to foster energy security and affordability. However, they do not explain how an industry that needs the support of the state to even exist could offer it.

Moreover, caucus members are unclear as to how long state support of the climate industry should continue. I am reminded of another example of conservative economic folly in the form of ethanol mandates that have enriched farmers in the Midwest for almost five decades. Ronald Reagan summed it up best when he said, “Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”

It should come as no surprise that caucus members will be working to dilute the Trump administration’s executive actions to rescind federal support for wind, solar, and electric vehicles. As stated in a recent article in Politico, Senator John Curtis believes that he can exert influence on Trump to temper his opposition to green energy initiatives.

It is also possible that some Conservative Caucus members, sensing a political wind change, may reverse their position on federal support for climate action. After all, former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, has come to regret the video of him and Nancy Pelosi promoting climate action.

It is important to realize what is at stake in allowing the vestiges of the Green New Deal to continue. Mandates, subsidies, and tax breaks for renewables and EVs are incentives for rent-seekers to manipulate the political environment to enrich themselves at the expense of the public. The debt required to finance it, estimates range from $2 trillion to over $4 trillion, is on a scale that will have ruinous economic repercussions.

Image: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered.