RepublicEn is a nominally right-leaning environmentalist advocacy organization. The group is a project of the Center for Climate Change Communication (4C) at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.¹

Background

RepublicEn was created in 2012 by executive director Bob Inglis, a former U.S. Representative from South Carolina who lost his congressional seat in a 2010 primary election. Inglis has claimed that he lost due to his advocacy for regulations to combat global warming,² stating,  “For many conservatives, it became the marker that you had crossed to Satan’s side—that you had left God and gone to Satan’s side on climate change.”³

Inglis’s alleged political martyrdom has earned him positive coverage by left-wing advocacy media as the “conservative who believes that climate change is real.”⁴

Environmental Activism

RepublicEn was created to provide a “conservative” solution to climate change. RepublicEn advocates for enacting environmentalist taxes carbon emissions. The organization condemened President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.⁵ The group has also called for import tariffs on countries that don’t already tax carbon dioxide.⁶ One of RepublicEn’s members, Alex Bozmoski, have openly praised U.S. Representative Carolos Curbelo’s (R-Florida) carbon tax bill in interviews.⁷

Association with Left-Wing Organizations

RepublicEn has ties to the left-wing Citizen’s Climate Lobby (CCL) through Inglis.⁸ The CCL, an organization with ties to a number of other right-leaning carbon tax advocates such as the American Conservation Coalition, has also lobbied Congress for a carbon tax—most notably the Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan House caucus whose members are generally sympathetic to such legislation.⁹ Despite CCL’s claim of bipartisanship, however, its employees overwhelmingly donate to the reelection campaigns of Democratic politicians including U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR).¹⁰

CCL is also a member of the U.S. Climate Action Network, a climate change advocacy coalition of left-wing organizations including 350.org, the Center for American Progress, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and Greenpeace.¹¹

People

Bob Inglis, former U.S. Representative for South Carolina’s 4^th congressional district, created RepublicEn and serves as acting executive director. Inglis also sits on the advisory board of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). The CCL is an organization that promotes a carbon tax scheme and who’s staffers have a history of donating to left-wing causes. Inglis shares his position on the board with George Shultz, former secretary of State; James Hansen, former director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies; Steven Chu, former secretary of Energy; University of Massachusetts-Amherst Professor of Social Justice Barbara Love, and liberal actors Don Cheadle and Bradley Whitford.¹²

Wen Lee, RepublicEn’s engagement director, is a staffer with a background in left-wing activism who previously worked for a number of left-wing nonprofits, including the Center for a New American Dream and the Alliance for Climate Education which are both funded with millions from organizations like the Tides Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.¹³

Alex Bozmoski, RepublicEn’s Managing Director, is also a staff member at the Center for Climate Change Communication (4C) at George Mason University.¹⁴ While 4C is barred from lobbying, Bozmoski has stated in interviews that the group intends to raise grassroots support for carbon tax bills.¹⁵ Bozmoski stated in an interview that “If we had 100 people in 50 of the right congressional districts phoning their support for climate leadership, I have no doubt that Congressman Curbelo would experience a rush of enthusiasm for his bill and quite possibly for amending his bill.”¹⁶

Chelsea Henderson, RepublicEn’s director of editorial content, is a proponent of a Republican Party-supported carbon tax, stating in an interview that it is “the preferred compliance mechanism of conservatives and economists . . . for solving climate change.”¹⁷

Funding

RepublicEn is sponsored by Center for Climate Change Communications (4C), a part of George Mason University. 4C has received millions of dollars in grants from left-wing funders including the Energy Foundation,¹⁸ Skoll Global Threats Fund,¹⁹ and the Sea Change Foundation.²⁰.

1. “About.” RepublicEn | Energy Optimists – Climate Realists. Accessed October 22, 2018. http://www.republicen.org/about_us/staff.
2. “CQ Politics.” CQ Politics | Gowdy Crushes Inglis in S.C. Runoff. Accessed October 22, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20100628043350/http:/www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003688244.
3. Atkin, Emily. “Congress’ Bipartisan Climate Club Doesn’t Agree on Much.” The New Republic. June 07, 2017. Accessed October 24, 2018. https://newrepublic.com/article/143099/congress-bipartisan-climate-club-doesnt-agree-much.
4. “A Conservative Who Believes That Climate Change Is Real.” Yale E360. Accessed October 22, 2018. https://e360.yale.edu/features/interview_bob_inglis_conservative_who_believes_climate_change_is_real.
5. “Statement from Bob Inglis on President Trump’s Decision to Withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord | RepublicEn.” RepublicEn | Energy Optimists – Climate Realists. Accessed October 25, 2018. http://www.republicen.org/articles/93.
6. “Statement from Bob Inglis on President Trump’s Decision to Withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord | RepublicEn.” RepublicEn | Energy Optimists – Climate Realists. Accessed October 25, 2018. http://www.republicen.org/articles/93.
7. Lacey, Stephen. “Why Only 5,000 Voters Could Help Pass a New Republican Carbon Tax.” Greentech Media. July 24, 2018. Accessed October 31, 2018. https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/why-5000-voters-could-help-pass-a-gop-carbon-tax#gs.m1QD2KA.
8. “Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Advisory Board.” Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Accessed October 22, 2018. https://citizensclimatelobby.org/about-ccl/advisory-board/.
9. Breenemurphy, About. “Snowmelt: Rep. Paulsen’s Path to the Climate Solutions Caucus.” Citizens’ Climate Lobby. June 19, 2018. Accessed October 25, 2018. https://citizensclimatelobby.org/snowmelt-paulsen-path-climate-solutions-caucus/.
10. “Browse Receipts.” FEC.gov. Accessed October 25, 2018. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?two_year_transaction_period=2018&data_type=processed&contributor_name=Tony-Sirna&min_date=01/01/2017&max_date=10/25/2018.
11. “Member Organizations.” US Climate Action Network. Accessed October 31, 2018. https://www.usclimatenetwork.org/member-organizations.
12. “Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Advisory Board.” Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Accessed October 22, 2018. https://citizensclimatelobby.org/about-ccl/advisory-board/.
13. Lee, Wen. 2018, User Profile, LinkedIn, Viewed 24 October 2018, https://www.linkedin.com/in/wenlee
14. “About.” RepublicEn | Energy Optimists – Climate Realists. Accessed October 22, 2018. http://www.republicen.org/about_us/staff.
15. “Curbelo Introduces First-of-Its-Kind Legislation to Combat Carbon Emissions, Fund Infrastructure Modernization.” Congressman Carlos Curbelo. July 23, 2018. Accessed October 25, 2018. https://curbelo.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2094.
16. Lacey, Stephen. “Why Only 5,000 Voters Could Help Pass a New Republican Carbon Tax.” Greentech Media. July 24, 2018. Accessed October 25, 2018. https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/why-5000-voters-could-help-pass-a-gop-carbon-tax#gs.3qtXuhw.
17. Henderson, Chelsea. “Why the Rush to Condemn a Carbon Tax?” TheHill. July 18, 2018. Accessed October 25, 2018. https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/397730-why-the-rush-to-condemn-a-carbon-tax.
18. “THE ENERGY FOUNDATION.” THE ENERGY FOUNDATION – GuideStar Profile. Accessed October 25, 2018. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-3126848.
19. “Skoll Global Threats Fund.” Skoll Global Threats Fund – GuideStar Profile. Accessed October 25, 2018. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/27-0198398.
20. “Sea Change Foundation.” Sea Change Foundation – GuideStar Profile. Accessed October 25, 2018. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/20-4952986.