Non-profit

Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation

Website:

conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org

Location:

Austin, TX

Tax ID:

32-070050938

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(4)

Formation:

January 2019

Principal Officer:

Matt Welch 1

References

  1. “Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation.” Texas State Comptroller of Records. Accessed August 19, 2019. https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/coaSearchBtn

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Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation is a right-leaning environmentalist lobbying and advocacy group based in Austin, Texas and founded in January 2019. It is the lobbying arm of Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation Foundation, a 501(c)(3) educational advocacy nonprofit.

Background

On January 18, 2019, Matt Welch, a Texas-based public affairs consultant and principal of Horizontal Public Affairs, registered Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. About two months later on March 8, 2019, Welch also registered Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation’s 501(c) (3) arm, the Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation Foundation, with the same office. 12 In a press release issued with the results of a poll of Texans regarding their opinions on energy policy, Kevin Brannon, another Texas-based consultant, is described as a leader of the organization alongside Welch. 3

Activities and Positions

On March 7, 2019, one day before the registration of its 501(c)(3) arm, Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation released the results of a poll that the organization had commissioned from Public Opinion Strategies, which interviewed Texas voters who identified as Republican or Independent with regard to their views on “clean energy.” In the press release accompanying the results of the poll, Matt Welch noted that the Green New Deal, a socialist legislative proposal supported by environmentalists and sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), “would wreck the national economy and erode our personal freedoms in the process.” Without specifying any details, Welch noted the necessity of “conservatives to lead on clean energy” and “offer constructive solutions.” 45

People

Senior Staff

Founder Matt Welch is a Texas-based public affairs consultant. Prior to founding Horizon Public Affairs, Welch worked for a decade as the Legislative & PAC Director for Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a political action committee. Welch also worked as the deputy regional director for former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX), campaign press secretary for U.S. Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX), and communications director for the Texas Republican House Caucus. Aside from his political work, Welch is an advisor to Thirst No More, a non-profit organization that digs and maintains wells in impoverished countries. 6

Strategic advisor Kevin Brannon is a Texas-based strategist and consultant who has worked in various capacities for former Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX), including as Gramm’s regional director for North Texas, and as Gramm’s Campaign Manager for his re-election campaign in the 1996 election cycle. 7

Board of Directors

Harry Anthony is a former Board Member and Chief Operating Officer of Uranium Energy Corp, a publicly traded uranium production company based in Corpus Christi, Texas as well as the former President of the Uranium Producers of America, a trade and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. 8

Margo Cardwell was the chief policy analyst for Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) gubernatorial campaign during the 2014 election cycle and is the founder of Margo Cardwell, PLLC, a consulting firm. 9

Richard Collins is the Chairman and CEO of Istation, an education company and is a governor-appointed member of the Texas Historical Commission. 11

Michael Jewell is the managing partner of Jewell and Associates, PLLC, a law firm based in Texas, which specializes in representing clients before the Texas Legislature on cases involving electricity, energy, and telecommunications. Former clients that Jewell has lobbied for include Direct Energy, MP2 Energy, Pattern Energy, Reliant Energy, the Solar Energy Industries Association, and Toshiba. 12

Cathy Landtroop is the founder of Landtroop Strategies, a public affairs firm based in Texas. 13

Josiah Neeley is a senior fellow and Texas director at the R Street Institute, a right-leaning think tank supportive of environmentalist policies based in Washington, DC. 14

Teresa Spears is a member of the boards of the Texas Federation of Republican Women and the National Federation of Republican Women. In 1995, George Bush, then the governor of Texas, appointed Spears to the Texas Commission for Women. 15

Pat Wood III is a former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Wood is also a member of the board of the National Petroleum Council, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory External Advisory Council, and the Texas A&M Smart Grid Council. 16

References

  1. “Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation Foundation.” Texas State Comptroller of Records. Accessed October 5, 2019.  https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/coaSearchBtn
  2. “Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation.” Texas State Comptroller of Records. Accessed October 5, 2019.  https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/coaSearchBtn
  3. “Poll: Republican and Independent Texans Strongly Support Responsible Clean Energy Solutions.” Cision PR Newswire. March 7, 2019. Accessed October 5, 2019. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/poll-republican-and-independent-texans-strongly-support-responsible-clean-energy-solutions-300808561.html
  4. “Poll: Republican and Independent Texans Strongly Support Responsible Clean Energy Solutions.” Cision PR Newswire. March 7, 2019. Accessed October 5, 2019. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/poll-republican-and-independent-texans-strongly-support-responsible-clean-energy-solutions-300808561.html
  5. Friedman, Lisa. “What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained.” New York Times. February 21, 2019. Accessed October 5, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/climate/green-new-deal-questions-answers.html
  6. “Our Team.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019. http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/our-team/
  7. “Our Team.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019. http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/our-team/
  8. “Advisory Board.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019. http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/advisory-board/
  9. “Advisory Board.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019. http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/advisory-board/
  10. “Advisory Board.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019. http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/advisory-board/[/note]

    John Davis is a former state legislator who served as Chairman of the House Economic Development Committee of the Texas House of Representatives. In 2015, Davis founded Pecan Spring Consulting, which focuses on space, construction, and healthcare policy issues. 10“Advisory Board.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019. http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/advisory-board/

  11. “Advisory Board.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019. http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/advisory-board/
  12. “Advisory Board.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019.

    http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/advisory-board/

  13. “Advisory Board.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019.

    http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/advisory-board/

  14. “Advisory Board.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019.

    http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/advisory-board/

  15. “Advisory Board.” Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation. Accessed October 5, 2019. http://www.conservativetexansforenergyinnovation.org/advisory-board/
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Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation


Austin, TX