Kansas firebrand Tim Huelskamp tapped to run climate change skeptic think tank

A Kansas Republican who was ousted from his congressional seat last year has accepted a position as the head of an Illinois-based think tank that denies that climate change is a man-made phenomenon.

Former U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a conservative firebrand who lost his seat to Roger Marshall in the last election, will take over as president of the Heartland Institute, a think tank that touts itself as the “the world’s most prominent think tank promoting skepticism about man-made climate change” on its website, a description quoted from a 2012 article in The Economist. The organization also advocates for low taxes and looser regulations on alcohol and tobacco.

“After a long and careful search, we’ve found the person who can take The Heartland Institute to the next level,” said Joseph Bast, who co-founded the institute in 1984. “Dr. Huelskamp combines the characteristics of a scholar, elected official, and small businessman that make him the ideal person to lead one of the nation’s top think tanks. His dedication to free-market ideas and ‘heartland values’ means Heartland will be in good hands long into the future.”

Huelskamp served 14 years in the Kansas Legislature before being elected to Congress in 2010. His six years in Congress were marked by conflict with Republican leaders. Huelskamp lost his seat on the House Agriculture Committee, a key position for agriculural-heavy Kansas, in 2012 after disagreements with former House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio.

Huelskamp’s controversial persona was seen as a key reason for his 14-point loss to Marshall in August.

This story was originally published June 29, 2017 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Kansas firebrand Tim Huelskamp tapped to run climate change skeptic think tank."