“President Trump’s just announced plan to give a $700 million taxpayer dollar handout to the coal industry is boneheaded on steroids. It makes the Obama-era Solyndra boondoggle look shrewd by comparison. This is a total misuse of the Defense Production Act , a giant giftwrapped payout to subsidize and prop up a flailing industry that can no longer compete in the free market,” said David Jenkins, President of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship (CRS). “This move, along with the President blocking the retirement of old coal plants that are too costly to operate, is making most Americans poorer. Enriching corporate cronies at taxpayer expense is swamp politics at its worst, and there is nothing even remotely conservative about it,” Jenkins added. About CRS: Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship (CRS) is a national nonprofit grassroots organization founded on the premise that environmental stewardship and natural resource conservation are inherently conservative, and that true conservatives endeavour to be good stewards of the natural systems and resources that sustain life on earth. Safeguarding our air and water, our public lands, our wetlands, and wildlife is, as Ronald Reagan accurately pointed out, ‘our great moral responsibility.’ We provide a critical counterbalance to those on the political right who have lost sight of their stewardship duty, and to those on the political left whose mistrust of capitalism often results in unworkable policies that polarize more than resolve. Learn more about CRS at our website: https://conservativestewards.org/ ### Here’s a roundup of media coverage generated from this CRS press release: June 8, 2026 — Indiana coal plant with data center ties gets $27M federal subsidy — Indy Star...
Utah Has an Opportunity to Lead by Example. By Steve Handy, Former Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives and a Board Member of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship & Patrice Arent, former Democratic member of the Utah Senate and House of Representatives | For The Salt Lake Tribune Anyone who has encountered an uncollected mess on a neighborhood trail knows the basic rule: If you create a problem, you are responsible for cleaning it up. It is a simple expectation, and one that applies just as much to public policy as it does to everyday life. That principle is at the heart of a long-overdue effort underway in Utah: modernizing the state’s oil and gas bonding rules. We have both spent our careers working on issues where fiscal responsibility and sound environmental policy go hand in hand. In this case, they point in the same direction. Updating bonding requirements is a practical, balanced step that protects taxpayers while supporting a stable and accountable energy sector. Read the rest of Handy and Arents’ op-ed at The Salt Lake...
Solar power is Florida’s Cheapest, Most Abundant and Most Secure Source of Energy By David Jenkins, Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship As a lifelong conservative who has spent decades working on energy-related issues, including serving as a campaign surrogate on energy for John McCain’s 2008 presidential run, I recall that the GOP ethos on energy has been solidly rooted in the catchphrase “All of the Above.” That phrase is in keeping with a genuinely conservative belief in the free market and its ability to drive investment to the smartest and most cost-effective energy technologies. Not only is that approach naturally suited to keeping our energy costs low, it also can best ensure that America leads the global race to dominate future energy markets. So, it was disappointing to hear Sunshine State gubernatorial candidate Paul Renner (a Republican) seemingly abandon “All of the Above” in favor of a hairbrained energy cancel culture that results in more rate hikes and threatens our energy future. Read the rest of David’s op-ed at the Tampa Bay Times, the South Florida Sun Sentinel, or The Invading...
By David Jenkins, President of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship There’s nothing remotely conservative about Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’s plan to do away with the 25-year-old Roadless Rule that protects America’s most ancient stands of forest. Not only will the proposed rollback undermine our natural wealth and betray common sense conservation, it would be a fiscal nightmare. Opening up new remote areas to expensive road building is the last thing the U.S. Forest Service needs. The harsh reality is that the agency doesn’t have the budget to take care of the 368,000 miles of roads already on our national forests. It’s in a deep road maintenance backlog hole. Just to fix all of the Forest Service’s existing roads will cost taxpayers an additional $10.8 billion. Read the rest of the op-ed at Richard Viguerie’s Conservative...
