{"id":94907,"date":"2019-03-28T12:28:29","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T18:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/sen-cory-gardner-touts-environmental-record-ahead-of-2020-election\/"},"modified":"2019-03-28T12:28:29","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T18:28:29","slug":"sen-cory-gardner-touts-environmental-record-ahead-of-2020-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/sen-cory-gardner-touts-environmental-record-ahead-of-2020-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Cory Gardner touts environmental record ahead of 2020 election"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Sen.
Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., center, walks with Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., second from right, in June 2015 during a tour of the Colorado Highlands Wind Farm in Fleming, northeastern Colorado.<\/span>Associated Press file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Clear blue skies and rotating wind turbines dominate the scene. Cory Gardner, then campaigning to be Colorado\u2019s next senator in 2014, steps into the frame. \u201cSo what\u2019s a Republican like me doing at a wind farm?\u201d he asks in the campaign ad.<\/p>\n

Sen. Gardner, R-Colo., won that election. Perhaps in part because he leaned into his history of conservation work. Gardner, who is now up for re-election in 2020, ran on what was considered a fairly progressive climate and conservation platform for a Republican senator. His renewable energy and pro-environment television ad from 2014 is an example of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at renewable energy not only as the right thing to do and better for the environment but also as a market opportunity,\u201d Gardner said this month in an interview with The Durango Herald<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Since Gardner strolled between wind turbines in 2014, he has continued to emphasize his environmental record. He considers his work on the Land and Water Conservation Fund as one of his finest legislative accomplishments, epitomizing his environmental work. His website highlights legislation he\u2019s introduced to clean up abandoned mines and his work as the chairman of the Senate Energy and Resources Subcommittee on Energy.<\/p>\n

Some science and conservation groups agree. Gardner was recognized in 2017 by the Consortium of Social Science Associations<\/a> for his bipartisan work. Yet, a mild backlash ensued when the American Geophysical Union<\/a> awarded Gardner its 2018 presidential citation for his actions to increase science opportunities for women and minorities. Almost 400 members of the AGU signed an open letter<\/a> criticizing the decision. In part, they felt Gardner supported legislation and political appointees that did nothing to help the environment. The letter warned against policymakers who \u201cpick and choose scientific facts that serve their political agendas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Voting record under microscope<\/div>\n

As Gardner gears up for his 2020 re-election campaign, his voting record is being scrutinized by environmental groups demanding actions that match his words.<\/p>\n

In early March, Gardner, along with fellow GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, announced the formation of the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus. The caucus, led by Gardner and Graham, is advocating for \u201cmarket-based approaches\u201d to solve environmental problems. Gardner said he supports the market-driven climate measures, in-part because he\u2019s \u201csomeone who believes in the free market.\u201d<\/p>\n

The caucus was in the planning stages for the past year, according to Gardner. Yet, the announcement came when Democrats were picking up momentum around climate change policies, like the Green New Deal. The deal, initially rolled-out by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, has been criticized by many Republicans as financially impractical.<\/p>\n

When discussing his Roosevelt Conservation Caucus, Gardner said, \u201cThere are people who wish to destroy the economy in pursuit of their goals, and I just don\u2019t think that\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Colorado
Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner talks with a farmer on the eastern plains of Colorado. The Republican senator is from Yuma, a small agriculture community on the plains east of Denver.<\/span>Courtesy of Sen. Cory Gardner\u2019s office<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Gardner echoed this message on Tuesday when he voted against the Green New Deal. While he said climate change is human induced and action needs to be taken, he did not believe the Democrat-backed plan was the solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Green New Deal, if enacted, would kill hundreds of thousands of real jobs, cost the American people trillions of dollars and gut our transportation and agricultural economies here in Colorado,\u201d Gardner said in a statement after the vote.<\/p>\n

Gardner has championed the Land Water and Conservation Fund throughout his time in Congress, calling it a \u201cgood mix of conservation and energy development.\u201d Gardner said the LWCF is a program that \u201cbenefits the state, it benefits the people of this country, and it\u2019s something that shows our commitment to conservation.\u201d Colorado has seen roughly $260 million return to the state through the LWCF, Gardner said.<\/p>\n

Rhetoric vs. record<\/div>\n

While Gardner and his supporters point to his work getting the LWCF permanently reauthorized in February, not everyone is satisfied with Gardner\u2019s conservation and environmental record. Kelly Nordini, executive director of Conservation Colorado, a nonprofit whose mission<\/a> is to elect \u201cconservation-minded policymakers,\u201d expressed concerns over Gardner\u2019s voting history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a world of difference between his rhetoric and his record,\u201d Nordini said last week, even referencing his 2014 renewable energy campaign ad. \u201cWe know that Colorado voters consistently are pro-conservation voters,\u201d Nordini said.<\/p>\n

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