Ken Silverstein: Bridging the red-blue divide on climate

Heather Reams, the president of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), stepped onto the stage at Breckenridge’s Mountain Towns 2030 summit — a room full of progressives accustomed to negotiating with Republicans on climate policy. She faced an audience from Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado — areas that often depend on Republican-controlled legislatures to achieve local sustainability goals.

Reams suggested the instinct of these communities shouldn’t be to lecture or shame. It should be to listen and find common ground. “Democrats can’t do it alone,” she said. “Republicans care deeply about their land. They hunt, they fish, they ski. They love the outdoors as much as anyone. So, of course, they care about clean air and water. The question is: How do we talk about it?”

A lifelong Republican, Reams has made it her mission to answer that question. CRES collaborates with GOP lawmakers to promote clean energy, arguing the conservative case for renewables is grounded in innovation, competitiveness and energy independence — not ideology.

At the conference, she stressed the key to climate progress isn’t confrontation, but compromise. One side might favor solar projects while the other insists on traditional fuel sources. By recognizing shared interests — for example, expanding solar energy while permitting additional natural gas pipelines or transmission lines — both sides can advance without ideological conflict. It’s not about surrender; it’s practical problem-solving.

Polls suggest finding common ground reflects more than strategy, it meets voter demand. Pew Research Center data from 2024 show that 72% of Americans, including 56% of Republicans under 40, support expanding solar and wind energy. A Yale Climate Communications poll reinforces this enthusiasm, showing clean energy incentives can generate local jobs and economic growth.

Beyond politics, Reams emphasized the economic benefits of renewables. Solar, wind, battery storage, advanced nuclear and geothermal are increasingly cost-competitive. Emerging energy industries can create high-paying local jobs, keeping residents in their hometowns rather than forcing talent to cities. She believes free-market forces are increasingly backing the case for clean energy.

That resonates with Republican leaders, who tend to prioritize economic and local issues and often find sustained dialogue is more effective than public confrontation. “Renewables are winning on price,” Reams said. “You don’t have to love climate policy to love cheaper energy and American jobs. We can win this on free-market principles.”

For communities pursuing ambitious climate goals, the lesson is clear: engage people where they are, identify shared priorities and focus on solutions that deliver economic and lifestyle benefits. Extreme views will always exist, but the broad middle can drive policy forward. Pragmatic collaboration, not ideological purity, is the path to progress.

By turning shared values into practical policies — whether through permitting reform or renewable energy initiatives, communities can make net-zero goals achievable. The enemy isn’t political disagreement; it’s obstinacy. When both sides operate from common interests, compromise becomes not just possible, but also the most effective way forward.

Ken Silverstein has covered energy and international affairs for years. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.