James C. Dozier is a Republican political operative, political consultant, and principal at Civitas Public Affairs leading the firm’s right-of-center work. ¹ Dozier is the founding president and board chair of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), an advocacy group established to engage Republican legislators and the public on issues in energy, the environment, and economic security. ² Dozier is the founder and board president of Centerline Liberties, a nonprofit organization advancing constitutional freedoms, preserving a free market, and limiting the role of government in the United States. ³ Dozier continues to intertwine his work between these three organizations. ⁴

Previously, Dozier was the deputy field director for the LGBTQ Victory Fund. ⁵ Dozier worked as a program officer for the Gill Action Fund, a now defunct 501(c)(4) advocacy group for LGBT issues, and has been a field director for the Log Cabin Republicans. ⁶ Most of Dozier’s political contributions have been to Republican candidates for office. ⁷

Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions

Dozier founded Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions to engage Republican policymakers on conservative environmental and energy solutions. ⁸ The organization has endorsed and championed Republican candidates for election, condemned using a carbon tax, and denounced President Joe Biden’s opposition to developing conventional energy sources in the United States. ⁹ However, in a 2017 television advertisement, CRES urged then-President Donald Trump to keep the U.S. in the Paris Climate Accord. ¹⁰ CRES was formed in 2013 with $1 million in start-up money from the left-wing Tides Advocacy Fund and Trust for Energy Innovation a funder of left-of-center environmental groups. ¹¹

CRES continues to receive funding from left-of-center groups. From 2018 to 2021, CRES received $2 million in grants from the MacArthur Foundation. ¹² In 2023, CRES received a $1.25 million grant from the Hewlett Foundation. ¹³

Civitas Public Affairs and Centerline Liberties

As the leader of Civitas Public Affairs’ right-of-center work, James Dozier’s portfolio includes weather-dependent energy, LGBT interests, and health, workforce, and economic issues. ¹⁴ Working with Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, Dozier oversaw the development of an annual National Clean Energy Week to bring together leaders from U.S. Congress, the Biden administration, and the energy sector. ¹⁵

In 2009, Dozier worked toward advancing legalized same-sex marriages in New Hampshire. ¹⁶ In 2022, Dozier combined his work with Civitas Public Affairs and Centerline Action to help pass the Respect for Marriage Act to confirm federal recognition of same-sex marriages legislatively. ¹⁷ Dozier has stated he sees same-sex marriage as fundamentally an issue based on freedom and individual liberty. ¹⁸

Much of Dozier’s work with Centerline Liberties involves supporting same-sex marriage, advocating for clean energy investment for economic growth, and pushing for less government intervention and economic growth. ¹⁹ In 2024, Dozier and Centerline Liberties opposed restrictions on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, advocating instead to reject interventions such as states passing laws on how the governments must invest and recommending that businesses voluntarily adopt sustainable practices or address social considerations free from government mandates. ²⁰

1. “Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions.” Civitas Public Affairs. Accessed July 20, 2024.  https://www.civitaspublicaffairs.com/case-studies/citizens-for-responsible-energy-solutions
2. “About Us.” Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://cresenergy.com/about-us/; Dozier, James. “’Live Free or Die’ is More Than a Credo.” New Hampshire Union Leader. June 3, 2024. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/james-dozier-live-free-or-die-is-more-than-a-credo/article_d17a5c12-190e-11ef-89e2-c35f2a3c4092.html.
3. “About Us.” Centerline Liberties. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://centerlineliberties.org/about/.
4.  ^[1] “Marriage Equality.” Civitas Public Affairs. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.civitaspublicaffairs.com/case-studies/marriage-equality; “Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions.” Civitas Public Affairs. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.civitaspublicaffairs.com/case-studies/citizens-for-responsible-energy-solutions.
5. “James Dozier.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcdozier/.
6. “James Dozier.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcdozier/.
7. Center for Responsive Politics. “James Dozier.” Opensecrets.org. March 22, 2021. Accessed July 21, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=James+dozier.
8. “About CRES.” Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://cresenergy.com.
9. “Endorsements.” Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://cresenergy.com/endorsements/; “CRES Applauds House Passage of Resolutions Condemning a Carbon Tax and Denouncing Biden’s War on American Energy.” Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. March 21, 2024. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://cresenergy.com/press-releases/cres-applauds-house-passage-of-resolutions-condemning-a-carbon-tax-and-denouncing-bidens-war-on-american-energy/.
10. Lauer, Daniel and Hayden Ludwig. “The Myth of the Conservative Carbon Tax: A Who’s Who of the EcoRight.” Capital Research Center. October 12, 2018. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-myth-of-the-conservative-carbon-tax-part-4/.
11. Lauer, Daniel and Hayden Ludwig. “The Myth of the Conservative Carbon Tax: A Who’s Who of the EcoRight.” Capital Research Center. October 12, 2018. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-myth-of-the-conservative-carbon-tax-part-4/
12. “Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Forum.” MacArthur Foundation. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/citizens-for-responsible-energy-solutions-forum-10114703/.
13. “Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Forum.” William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://hewlett.org/grants/citizens-for-responsible-energy-solutions-forum-for-general-operating-support-2/.
14. “James C. Dozier.” Civitas Public Affairs. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.civitaspublicaffairs.com/our-team/james-dozier.
15. “Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions.” Civitas Public Affairs. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.civitaspublicaffairs.com/case-studies/citizens-for-responsible-energy-solutions. “2023 Speakers.” National Clean Energy Week. 2023. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://nationalcleanenergyweek.org/2023-speakers/.
16. “James Dozier.” LinkedIn. June 2024. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7203448279018131456/.
17. “Marriage Equality.” Civitas Public Affairs. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.civitaspublicaffairs.com/case-studies/marriage-equality.
18. Ball, Molly. “Same-Sex Marriage Marks Big Anniversary. Wall Street Journal. May 14, 2024. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/wmk6UkrlEgbd7IGHnbwh-WSJNewsPaper-5-14-2024.pdf.
19. “Newsroom.” Centerline Liberties. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://centerlineamerica.com/newsroom/.
20. Eccles, Robert. “Centerline: How the Free Market-Right is Working for a Return to Normalcy.” Forbes. April 16, 2024. Accessed July 21, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobeccles/2024/04/16/centerline-how-the-free-market-right-is-working-for-a-return-to-normalcy/.