Rep. John Curtis is turning over leadership of the House Conservative Climate Caucus to Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, an Iowa Republican who will only be the second lawmaker to chair the 85-member organization.
Curtis (R-Utah), who founded the caucus in 2021, is facilitating the hand-off as he prepares to leave the House at the end of the year: He’s competing in the Utah GOP primary to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Mitt Romney. Even if he doesn’t win a seat in the Senate, campaigning for a term in the other chamber requires him to give up his seat in the House.
“I’m obviously still clearly planning to be involved, but we wanted to be prepared for me leaving … knowing one way or another I’m not here next year in the House,” Curtis, who plans to take on the title of “chair emeritus,” told E&E News. “I’m really pleased and excited about Mariannette’s enthusiasm.”
Miller-Meeks — who was elected to the House in 2020 and hails from a state where renewables make up nearly two-thirds of Iowa’s energy generation — officially took the top spot on the caucus April 1. She’d been a vice chair of the Conservative Climate Caucus since January 2023.
