ConservAmerica is a right-of-center advocacy group that claims to promote unity between conservatism and environmentalism through policies to address climate change. ¹

ConservAmerica has opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), ² has supported regulation of natural gas extraction under the Clean Water Act, opposed transferring federal lands to state control, ³ and advocated for increased access to public lands. ^{4 5}

Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship (CRS), formerly known as ConservAmerica EF, is the charitable fundraising and research arm of ConservAmerica. ⁶ ConservAmerica is also affiliated with ConservAmerica Action. ⁷

Background

ConservAmerica was founded in 1995 under the name Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP). ⁸ According to a 2014 story published by National Public Radio (NPR), REP was originally founded to “keep the environmental spirit of [former Republican] President Theodore Roosevelt alive in his party.” ⁹

ConservAmerica was co-founded by Martha Marks, ¹⁰ who also worked as its first president while the organization was called REP America. ¹¹ Prior to founding ConservAmerica, Marks was an elected member of the Lake County, Illinois Board and Forest Preserve Board. ¹²

In 2012, REP America changed its name to ConservAmerica while claiming it was focused on advocating  that conservation and environmental protection are “fundamental elements” of the Republican Party. ⁸ At the time of its name change, ConservAmerica vice president David Jenkins claimed that “messaging through a Republican frame doesn’t reach [independent voters] as well as reaching them through a conservative frame.” ² According to official filings with the Internal Revenue Service, the organization is still officially known as REP America, but is publicly known as ConservAmerica, claiming to be a “nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and advancement of sound environmental and conservation policy.” ^{13 14}

Leadership

As of 2024, Jeff Kupfer is the president of ConservAmerica. He previously served as the U.S Department of Energy’s Chief of Staff and Acting Deputy Secretary during the George W. Bush administration. ¹⁵ ConservAmerica ‘s executive board includes former U.S. Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY), Andrew Sabin Family Foundation founder Andy Sabin, National Mining Association CEO Hal Quinn, and former Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy vice president Christine Hughes. ¹⁶

In 2024, ConservAmerica appointed Neil Chatterjee and Todd Myers to its board of directors. Chatterjee previously served as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) while Myers was formerly the vice president for research at the Washington Policy Center. ^{17 18} Nick Loris, the vice president of environmentalist organization C3 Solutions, is a member of ConservAmerica’s advisory board as of 2024. ^{19 20}

In 2024, Rob Sisson, who previously worked as president of ConservAmerica from 2011 through 2019, re-joined the organization as a senior fellow. ^{21 21}

He previously advocated a carbon tax, ²² emissions trading plus increased federal climate regulations, ²³ and the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. ²⁴

Activities

ConservAmerica has opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), ² supported regulating natural gas extraction under the Clean Water Act, opposed the transfer of federal lands to state control, ³ advocated increasing access to public lands including wildlife refuges and national forests for outdoor recreation, supported expanding nuclear energy use in the United States, ⁴ and endorsed promoting public-private land partnerships to increase access to public lands. ⁵ The group claims to follow former President Ronald Reagan’s approach to the environment, advocating market-based solutions to environmental issues as “preferable to government regulations and mandates.” ²⁵

In November 2024, ConservAmerica senior advisor and assistant director and assistant fellow for Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) ²⁶ Quill Robinson wrote a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account claiming the group is “purpose-built to engage right-of-center policymakers and audiences” following the election of former president Donald Trump in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. ^{27 28} Robinson also identified similar organizations including Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), American Conservation Coalition (ACC), ClearPath Foundation, and C3 Solutions. ²⁷

ConservAmerica was a founding member of the American Conservation Coalition. ²⁹ On its website, the group has a “State-by-State Outlook” of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), ³⁰ and has previously donated  grants including a 2014 grant of $35,000 to the Republican Main Street Partnership. ³¹

Congressional Caucus

In 2019, ConservAmerica organized its first “bicameral” Roosevelt Conservation Caucus. Then-ConservAmerica president Rob Sisson told Bloomberg News in an interview that the caucus was founded to address national environmental concerns. ³² The caucus was founded by then-U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) along with U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL). ³³ The caucus claimed to advocate environmentalist issues including lower-emission energy sources, wildlife conservation, and access to public lands and waters. ³⁴

Since the 117th Congress (2021-2022), ConservAmerica has released a list of what it claims are its Congressional priorities on the environment including conservation, public land access, economic development, and energy policy. ³⁵

As of November 2024, the caucus’s members in the 118th Congress included U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Braun (R-IN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Thune (R-SD), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Its House of Representatives members include U.S. Representatives Brian Mast (R-FL), Buddy Carter (R-GA), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Mike Turner (R-OH), Bill Posey (R-FL), John Curtis (R-UT), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Bryan Steil (R-WI), French Hill (R-AR), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), David Valadao (R-CA), Michael Waltz (R-FL), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Ryan Zinke (R-MT), Garret Graves (R-LA), and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY). ³⁴

Affiliated Organizations

Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship (CRS), formerly known as ConservAmerica EF, is the sister fundraising and research arm of ConservAmerica. ⁶

ConservAmerica is also affiliated with ConservAmerica Action, whose board of directors includes former U.S. Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY), Andrew Sabin Family Foundation founder Andy Sabin, Bruce Fogerty, former U.S. Rep. Bob Dold (R-IL), and former for former Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Gibson McKay. ⁷

Funding

ConservAmerica receives its funding from individual contributions and grants. ³⁶ In 2023, the organization reported revenue of $31,050 and expenses of $45,109. ³⁷ ConservAmerica reported revenue of $62,816 and expenses of $78,508 in 2022. ³⁸

1. “Values.” ConservAmerica. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/values/.
2. King, Bob. “Green Group Grabs New Name.” Politico. April 2, 2012. Accessed July 13, 2019. https://www.politico.com/story/2012/04/gop-green-group-drops-republicans-from-name-074745.
3. Barringer, Felicity. “Q&A: Back to the Future with Environmental Bipartisanship.” The New York Times. October 22, 2012. Accessed July 14, 2019. https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/q-and-a-back-to-the-future-with-environmental-bipartisanship/#more-149767.
4. Clough, Alina. “Commentary: The Real Three Mile Island Disaster Was Shutting It down.” ConservAmerica. September 27, 2024. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/commentary-the-real-three-mile-island-disaster-was-shutting-it-down/.
5. Priorities. ConservAmerica. Accessed July 13, 2019. https://www.conservamerica.org/priorities.
6. “Welcome.” Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.conservativestewards.org/welcome/.
7. “ConservAmerica Action.” ConservAmerica. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/ca-action/.
8. Restuccia, Andrew. “Republicans for Environmental Protection Rebrands.” The Hill. April 2, 2012. Accessed July 14, 2019. https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/219507-republicans-for-environmental-protection-rebrands.
9. James, Frank. “Green GOP Group Caught Between ‘Rock And A Hard Place’.” NPR. April 22, 2014. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2014/04/22/305957364/green-gop-group-caught-between-rock-and-a-hard-place.
10. Marks, Martha. “REP’s Earth Day Message to the GOP.” Republicans for Environmental Protection. April 1, 2004. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://rep.org/rep-earth-day-message-to-gop/.
11. Marks, Martha. “Republicans for Environmental Protection Need Not be an Oxymoron.” The Grist. May 13, 2003. Accessed July 14, 2019. https://grist.org/article/greening/.
12. Board of Directors and Staff Leadership. Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship. Accessed July 14, 2019. http://www.conservativestewards.org/leadership/.
13. ^[1] Values. ConservAmerica. Accessed July 13, 2019. https://www.conservamerica.org/values.
14. “Rep America.” Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990-EZ). 2022. Part I. https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/364112938_202212_990EO_2023082821559798.pdf.
15.  “Jeff Kupfer – President.” ConservAmerica. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/our-team/jeff-kupfer-president/.
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17. “Todd Myers.” Washington Policy Center. Accessed November 16,2024. https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/authors/detail/todd-myers.
18. “ConservAmerica Welcomes New Board Members and Senior Fellow.” ConservAmerica. May 29, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/conservamerica-welcomes-new-board-members-and-senior-fellow/.
19. “Nick Loris.” ConservAmerica. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/advisory-board/nick-loris/.
20. “Nick Loris.” C3 Solutions. Accessed November 14, 2024. https://www.c3solutions.org/profile/nick-loris/.
21. “ConservAmerica Welcomes New Board Members and Senior Fellow.” ConservAmerica. May 29, 2024. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/conservamerica-welcomes-new-board-members-and-senior-fellow/.
22. Tarr, Joe. “RNC Attendee Bucks GOP’s Anti-Environmental Stance With ConservAmerica.” Isthmus. August 30, 2012. Accessed July 14, 2019. https://isthmus.com/news/news/rnc-attendee-bucks-gops-anti-environmental-stance-with-conservamerica/
23. Craig, John. “FPR Interviews – Rob Sisson.” Fordham Political Review. Accessed via Web Archive. November 16, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20160410071315/https://fordhampoliticalreview.org/fpr-interviews-rob-sisson/
24.  James, Frank. “Green GOP Group Caught Between ‘Rock and a Hard Place.’” NPR. April 22, 2014. Accessed July 13, 2019. https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2014/04/22/305957364/green-gop-group-caught-between-rock-and-a-hard-place.
25. Values. ConservAmerica. Accessed July 13, 2019. https://www.conservamerica.org/values.
26. “WATCH: ConservAmerica’s Quill Robinson on Fox Business.” ConservAmerica. June 7, 2023. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/watch-conservamericas-quill-robinson-on-fox-business/.
27. Robinson, Quill. “Climate philanthropy funds left-of-center advocacy organizations. Left-of-center advocacy organizations engage left-of-center policymakers and audiences.” X, November 6, 2024. https://x.com/QuillRobinson/status/1854264270500077820.
28. “Quill Robinson.” LinkedIn, Accessed November 12, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/quill-robinson-570a9a120.
29.  ^[1] Ludwig, Hayden, ed. “Rise of the Eco-Right.” Capital Research Center. July 2021. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/Eco-Right.pdf.
30. “Land and Water Conservation Fund a State-by-State Outlook.” ConservAmerica. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/lwcfstateoutlook/.
31. “Rep America.” Cause IQ. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/conservamerica,364112938/.
32. Lee, Stephen. “Republican Conservation Caucus Touts Environmental Efforts.” Bloomberg Environment. March 1, 2019. Accessed July 13, 2019. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/republican-conservation-caucus-touts-environmental-efforts.
33. “New Caucus Spotlights Republican Conservation Leadership.” ConservAmerica. July 10, 2019. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/new-caucus-spotlights-republican-conservation-leadership/.
34. “Congressional Caucus.” ConservAmerica. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/caucus/.
35.  “Priorities.” ConservAmerica. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://conservamerica.org/priorities/.
36. “Donate.” ConservAmeica. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://secure.anedot.com/conservamerica/general.
37. Rep America.” Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990Z) 2023. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364112938/202401169349202150/full.
38. Rep America.” Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990-EZ). 2022. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364112938/202321309349201702/full.