This post is the tenth post in a series of blogs examining where 2018 candidates for state and federal offices in the Southeast stand on key energy and climate issues. To read the candidate profile for Democratic Nominee for Tennessee Governor, Karl Dean, click here.
Note: The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy does not support or oppose candidates or political parties. Links to reports, candidate websites and outside sources are provided as citizen education tools.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean will participate in three debates before the election, on Oct. 2 in Memphis at the University of Memphis, on Oct. 9 in Kingsport at the Eastman Employee Center, and on Oct. 12 in Nashville at Belmont University. For more information, click here.
Candidate: Bill Lee
In this blog, we examine the policies and positions of Bill Lee, chairman and former CEO of Lee Co., a full-service home services, facilities and construction company founded by his grandfather in 1944, which Lee later purchased from his father and became president of in 1992, according to the Tennessean.
Renewables
We could not find any mention of renewable energy in Bill Lee’s campaign materials or publicly available information.
Energy Efficiency
We could not find any mention of energy efficiency in Bill Lee’s campaign materials or publicly available information.
Clean Transportation
In 2017, Tennessee’s IMPROVE Act increased its gas tax. According to an AP story, Bill Lee and fellow Republican candidate Beth Harwell “weren’t comfortable with the gas tax hike but said they wouldn’t go so far as to try to turn back the Improve Act.”
Climate Change
The Lee campaign website does not include discussion about the environment in general or specifically on climate change.
Fossil Fuels
We could not find any mention of fossil fuels in Bill Lee’s campaign materials or publicly available information.
Nuclear
We could not find any mention of nuclear energy in Bill Lee’s campaign materials or publicly available information.
Summary
Bill Lee’s campaign website makes his anti-regulatory stance clear, but it does not include any specific environmental regulations Lee proposes to roll back if he wins the election.
We encourage you to register and then vote this November. Click here for voting resources provided by the Civic Tennessee/Clean Energy Voter. If you are inspired by this blog and have questions for the candidate, please contact his campaign here.