Candidates debate for seat held by Utah Senator Mitt Romney

Salt Lake City, Utah – On Thursday, the Republican and Democratic contenders for Mitt Romney’s vacant U.S. Senate seat attempted to persuade Utah voters that their plan is a superior one for addressing climate change and safeguarding the state’s abundant natural resources.

Republican U.S. Representative John Curtis, the head of the Conservative Climate Caucus on Capitol Hill, faced off against a climate activist and mountaineer on the debate platform in an attempt to undermine Curtis’s reputation as a legislator who is concerned about climate change.

Democrat Caroline Gleich remarked, “I’ve heard from young people who have crippling anxiety about the future of our planet.” “I’m an environmental advocate, so I’m all about reduce, reuse and recycle, but we cannot keep recycling the same old politicians and expect them to get out of this mess.”

In a strongly Republican state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1970, Gleich, 38, is the underdog. In statewide elections, Utah voters tend to choose moderate Republicans like Romney and Curtis.

The victor in November will replace one of the most well-known centrists in Washington and a vocal opponent of the late President Donald Trump. Romney reaffirmed this week that he will not support Trump, but he chose not to become one of the increasing number of prominent Republicans who have openly backed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, including former US Representative Liz Cheney and a Trump White House adviser.

The retiring senator expressed his desire to maintain his influence within the Republican Party, which he believes may require reconstruction following this election cycle.

Because of his reluctance to back down from Trump and other members of his party who have erroneously asserted that climate change is a hoax, Curtis, 64, has drawn comparisons to Mitt Romney.

Curtis defeated a mayor who supported Trump in the GOP primary in June, coming out of a wide field of contenders. Curtis promised to back the party’s ultimate nominee before Trump emerged as the front-runner, but he hasn’t really endorsed the outgoing president.

Both Curtis and Gleich see the environment as a winning issue in a Western state where inhabitants cherish access to water, outdoor activities, and good air quality. However, their strategies are different.

Curtis has been a member of Utah’s House delegation for the longest. Throughout his seven years on Capitol Hill, he has made an attempt to engage conservatives on issues that have traditionally been dominated by Democrats. He has outlined a Republican strategy for climate change that, in his words, seeks to reduce emissions without sacrificing American employment or economic values.

He outlined on Thursday how Utah’s water problems fit into his market-based strategy.

The Great Salt Lake is getting smaller, mostly as a result of water being diverted for human use—mainly agriculture—and climate change. Toxic materials found in the exposed lakebed have the potential to deteriorate air quality and endanger public health.

The congressman stated that he hopes to keep assisting the state’s agricultural leaders in realizing how tiny adjustments can contribute to a larger solution.

“The combination of the private sector, of not demonizing agriculture, of using Utah’s innovation, will help us solve this in a way that will help us grow and prosper,” Curtis stated.

His opponent pledged to push lawmakers to recognize the West’s water resources as limited and to expedite water conservation measures in the region.

Prominent environmental interest groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund’s advocacy partner EDF Action, which has consistently endorsed Democrats, supported Curtis in the primary.

Gleich has enlisted the help of Protect Our Winters, an environmental organization she had collaborated with, and the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund to petition Congressmen, including Curtis.

Nevertheless, the coal, oil, and gas industries of the state have lent their widespread support to the congressman. In order to ensure an affordable renewable energy future, he has pushed lawmakers to include the fossil fuel industry, which is a major economic force in his congressional district. He contends that because natural gas releases fewer greenhouse emissions during combustion than other fossil fuels, the United States may still meet its emission reduction targets while utilizing some natural gas.

Gleich has chastised Curtis for opposing Democratic climate-related bills like the Inflation Reduction Act and accused him of caving in to the fossil fuel business. The Democrat declared that if elected, she would press for infrastructure investments for electric vehicles and would support the gradual elimination of federal subsidies for the fossil fuel sector.