Guthrie in 2020. Photo: Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images
Rep. Brett Guthrie was elected Monday to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the next Congress.
Why it matters: The Kentucky Republican — who beat out Rep. Bob Latta for the right to succeed retiring Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers — will steer many of his party's major energy policy and reconciliation priorities next year.
Zoom in: Guthrie chaired the health subcommittee during this Congress and has largely focused his efforts there.
- He's talked about using the gavel of the full committee to eliminate "EV mandates," preserve existing fossil fuel and nuclear generation and scale back the IRA.
- He's also a fierce opponent of the Biden EPA's power plant emissions standards and regulations on coal plants.
- "I am a member of the Conservative Climate Caucus and think that climate change is a real and serious threat," Guthrie says on his website.
Between the lines: Guthrie's district is home to a $2 billion new EV battery plant that he's touted as part of a larger "EV battery corridor."
- It's worth watching whether that shapes his view on the IRA's manufacturing and consumer tax incentives as the GOP repeal debate commences.
