“Conservatives” For Clean Energy? Two Republican NC Lawmakers Crowned By Solar/Wind Advocacy Group

GREENSBORO – Labels get adopted, assigned, and avoided on the Left and the Right all the time. Adopting the right label can endear you or your group to a target population, whether you embody the qualities of that label o r not. ‘Conservative’ is one of those labels many political entities love to adopt (hijack) because they know the credibility given the term, and its implications, by grassroots Republicans and liberty-minded folks.

Such is the case with a group named Conservatives for Clean Energy that is engaged in pushing the interests of solar and wind energy in North Carolina and other states. They advocate for keeping renewable energy mandates, fight for subsidizing solar installations, and basically work to push Jones Street toward bigger government in areas the government shouldn’t be involved in at all.

Doesn’t sound very ‘conservative’ does it?

In fact, according to the Mapping The Left project, Conservatives for Clean Energy, a 501(c)3, was started with funds from the radical leftist Energy Foundation, which has consistently supported socialist environmental groups and policies.

It was started by two republican political consultants here in Raleigh – Dee Stewart and Paul Shumaker – who are hardly conservatives themselves. As such, Conservatives for Clean Energy serves as the monetary connection between liberal environmental policy and Republican consultants and lobbyists.

Why do you think it has been so hard for ostensibly conservative Republican SUPER-MAJORITIES to get rid of wind and solar mandates, special carve outs, and subsidies? Because groups like this shower those lawmakers with campaign cash and favors, and give them ‘conservative’ awards, in exchange for favorable Leftist environmental policies.

Some of those distinguished awards were given to two Republican N.C. House members at the groups Third Annual Champions of Clean Energy event in Greensboro.

The honored guests were Rep. John Szoka (R-Cumberland) and Rep. Bob Steinburg (R-Chowan).

Steinburg was named their “Clean Energy Legislative Champion” for all of his helpful work in the legislature. A champion of Leftist environmental and central economic planning policies that claims the conservative label and is also running for retiring Sen. Bill Cook’s seat. Cook, a tried and true conservative, is endorsing Steinburg’s opponent.

Szoka was awarded the 2017 Energy Market Access for his part in pushing clean energy policies of the Left.

In the video below from the group’s Facebook page you can hear Szoka in his own word say that he wasn’t a fan of solar until he got to Jones Street and…the solar lobby spearheaded by these faux conservative groups got their claws in him.

This group, Conservative for Clean Energy, and the lawmakers that drink their kool-aid represent the anti-thesis of what limited government, constitutional conservatives actually stand for. This kind of special interest influence and the double-speak lawmakers use to justify pushing their policies is a glaring mark against politics in the Old North State and beyond.

Szoka and Steinburg should be embarrassed for receiving accolades from a group that is literally dedicated to pushing policies that grassroots conservatives oppose for good reason. The ‘Conservative’ label can’t hide the stink that emanates from this Big Government bunch.