Fresh Ideas by Anne Macquarie: GOP's climate change strategy: Deny, then attack

Recently ABC's George Stephanopoulos interviewed Congressman John Boehner about climate change. Asked pointedly about Republican policies, Boehner answered, "George, the idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen harmful to our environment is almost comical."

Was Boehner's peculiar statement just a way to sidestep Stephanopoulos' question, or does he really think that all leading climate scientists and most of the world's leaders are sounding the alarm about anthropogenic climate change because they think CO2 is carcinogenic? Such fundamental scientific ignorance on the part of one of our country's most powerful leaders is truly frightening.

Whatever Boehner's thoughts were, it's clear his party is on the attack. Last week, three Republicans - Fred Upton of Michigan, James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Ed Whitfield of Kentucky - circulated a draft bill to amend the Clean Air Act to block the Environmental Protection Agency from requiring reductions in carbon dioxide pollution.

Meanwhile, in a new Gallup poll published last week, 83 percent of Americans surveyed say they are in favor of passing an energy bill that would provide incentives for using solar and other alternative energy sources. The EPA's move to regulate carbon dioxide emissions would support this, encouraging investment in clean-energy alternatives to coal and oil - and making American companies more competitive.

Maybe it's time Republicans listened to the people rather than to their sponsors.

I'm reminded - bear with me while I step back into history - of New England in the 19th century. The whaling port of New Bedford, Mass., was the wealthiest town in America, built by men who made fortunes in whale oil. Then petroleum drilling and kerosene refining were invented, and look what happened to the whaling industry.

It's the 21st-century equivalent of those old whaling magnates who are funding the Republican Party's denial of anthropogenic climate change and their unrelenting attacks on climate science. Koch Industries, oil refiner and leading opponent of climate change legislation, was among Congressman Upton's top supporters in the 2010 elections. Sen. Inhofe received $662,506 from oil companies between 2000 and 2008, making him a top recipient of oil money.

Republicans - the party of whale oil. Meanwhile, Evergreen Solar, an American company making silicon wafers for solar panels, recently announced that they're moving manufacturing to China, laying off 800 workers. Seems they couldn't turn down the incentives the Chinese offered them. As the CEO of the company said, "The access to capital there is staggering."

Republicans, how about removing your hands from the pockets of oil companies and instead supporting American companies that offer American jobs and a more secure energy and climate future? Or is that too much to ask of a party with its feet planted so firmly in the past?

• Anne Macquarie, a private sector urban planner, is a long-time resident of Carson City.