Former GOP Congressman Holds Climate Change Student Forum

posted February 25, 2019 in CommRadio, News by Michael Sneff

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa - Former South Carolina Republican Congressman Bob Inglis visited Penn State on Thursday for a student forum discussion to share a conservative perspective on climate change.

Penn State’s College Republicans and Council of Sustainable Leaders hosted the forum in Willard with Inglis, who served in Congress from 2005-2001 and is currently the executive director of Republic-En, a non-profit conservative organization looking to find free-market solutions to environmental issues and climate change.

Inglis’s stance on a usually liberal issue is to address climate change concerns with facts and science. Inglis is infamous for putting forth a bill while he was in office to tax carbon emissions, which is not a standard conservative viewpoint.

“Right now what happens is members of Congress who have conservative constituencies don’t believe that's a thing, that there are conservatives who care about climate change,” Inglis said. “At Republic-en, we want to help these people become visible. If they become visible, members of Congress can say, ‘I can lead this constituency.’”

“We all know this is an issue, but we just all need to come together,” Reagan McCarthy, President of Penn State College Republicans, said. “Having this kind of dialogue is really important.”

Maddy Mitchell, Director of The Council of Sustainable Leaders, said she agrees with McCarthy.

“A lot of times it has seen as only a liberal issue but it affects everyone,” Mitchell said. “So I think having that space to actually come together and talk about it is really important.”

 

 

Michael Sneff is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and political science. To contact him, email mbs5797@psu.edu.