What McCarthy’s fall means for energy, environment policy

Over the years, he gave space for his party to move past hardcore denialism and talk about clean energy policies, even as he himself represented a district dominated by an oil industry struggling in a progressive state.

“Being from California, you get a little taste of everything,” said Nick Loris, vice president of public policy at C3 Solutions. “Obviously, Bakersfield — oil and gas; California also had the fight over keeping Diablo Canyon open and being one of the most progressive states to transition away from fossil fuels.”