 Logo of ConservAmerica | |
| Formation | 1995; 30 years ago (1995) |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)(3) |
| Purpose | Conservative environmental advocacy |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Region | United States |
President | Jeff Kupfer |
Vice President | Todd Johnston |
| Website | conservamerica |
Formerly called | Republicans for Environmental Protection |
ConservAmerica, formerly known asRepublicans for Environmental Protection (REP), is a national nonprofit organization formed in 1995. REP's stated purpose is to strengthenthe Republican Party's stance on environmental issues and support efforts to conserve natural resources and protect human andenvironmental health. Incorporated inIllinois, its headquarters are inSturgis, Michigan.
On March 30, 2012, REP President Rob Sisson and Chairwoman Tina Beattie announced that the organization would be changing its name toConservAmerica.[1] ConservAmerica had been the name of REP's sister501(c)(3) organization; that nonprofit is now called theConservatives for Responsible Stewardship.[2]
REP was founded in 1995[3] by three women,Martha Marks, who at the time was a member of theLake County, Illinois, Board of County Commissioners;Kim O'Keefe-Wilkins; andAurie Kryzuda. They met at anendangered species conference inChevy Chase, Maryland. As lifelong Republicans, they were concerned that the new Republican majority in the 104th Congress was seeking to weaken theClean Water Act and otherenvironmental laws.
In April 2012, ConservAmerica became a separate organization from REP led by Rob Sisson. The new group named itself "ConservAmerica", a name that it said represented "the inherent connection between conservation and conservatism".
"ConservAmerica's mission is to educate the public and elected officials on conservative approaches to today's environmental, energy, and conservation challenges."
ConservAmerica's slogan, "Conservation is Conservative," is based on the traditional conservative philosophy of writers and thinkers such as British statesmanEdmund Burke, PresidentTheodore Roosevelt, and authorsRussell Kirk, author ofThe Conservative Mind, andRichard Weaver, author ofIdeas Have Consequences. ConservAmerica argues in its literature that conservation and responsible environmental stewardship are core conservative values that necessarily extend from concepts such as prudence, personal responsibility, thrift and Burke's view that society is a partnership among past, present and future generations.
ConservAmerica cites the conservation achievements of Republican leaders, includingAbraham Lincoln's initial protection ofYosemite Valley and pioneering conservationist president,Theodore Roosevelt's establishment of national forests, monuments, parks, and wildlife refuges. Other Republican leaders often cited by REP for their conservation records include PresidentsHerbert Hoover,Dwight Eisenhower,Richard Nixon,Gerald Ford, andRonald Reagan, SenatorsBarry Goldwater,John Chafee,William Roth andJohn McCain, CongressmanJohn Saylor, and California GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger.
ConservAmerica advocates for conservation and environmental protection on a wide variety of environment and energy-related issues. The organization favors retention of environmental laws that were adopted with bipartisan support, such as theWilderness Act,Clean Air Act,Clean Water Act,Endangered Species Act, theNational Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act.[4]
Since 2018, ConservAmerica has focused on advocating for market-oriented approaches to addressing energy and climate issues.[5] ConservAmerica advocates for reduced U.S. dependence onoil and other fossil fuels through moreenergy efficiency, and more use of renewable andnuclear energy. ConservAmerica's environmental policy positions are covered in the organization's website under the Issues tab and detailed in a variety of ConservAmerica policy papers.
