Northwest Florida's U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz — a fierce defender of President Donald Trump and a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus — has a message for his fellow Republicans:

"Climate change is real," Gaetz said in an interview with the News Journal on Wednesday. "It's not something people get to choose to believe in or not."

Gaetz is drafting a resolution in Congress that he hopes will be the Republican answer to the "Green New Deal" first put forward by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and embraced by several Democratic candidates running for president in 2020.

Gaetz calls his proposal the "Green Real Deal."

"Right now, the idea set being discussed to deal with climate change is very dangerous," Gaetz said. "It's the 'Green New Deal,' and I think that conservatives, people who believe in the free market, should have a response that acknowledges the reality of climate change but that leans into innovation and strategy, rather than regulation."

Green New Deal: What is it and what does it mean for climate change?

Gaetz acknowledged he will likely face "strong headwinds" in his own party over his push to address climate change.

"A lot of older members of Congress have been denying the science of climate change for many decades, and sometimes, it's hard to get people to change their view on something even in the face of overwhelming evidence because, in Washington, nobody wants to be viewed as a flip-flopper," Gaetz said. "I fear the judgement of history more than I fear the ridicule of my own party."

What's in Gaetz's 'Green Real Deal?'

Gaetz's "Green Real Deal" shares some similarities with the "Green New Deal" in calling for a smarter energy grid and more renewable energy, although Gaetz believes the way to get there is to eliminate regulations he says are in way of those technologies.

Gaetz pointed to nuclear power and the construction of Plant Vogtle near Augusta, Georgia, as an example. The plant is one of Georgia Power's two nuclear facilities.

"Right now, if you want to build a nuclear power plant in America, you are essentially required to build a light water reactor," Gaetz said. "Our friends in Georgia are working on that right now, and they're upwards of $60 billion. It was so damn expensive that the Southern Company had sell Gulf Power to pay for it to Florida Power and Light."

The Associated Press reports the actual cost for the current Plant Vogtle is nearly $28 billion, nearly double the original budget of $14 billion.

More:New billboard targeting Rep. Matt Gaetz appears in Escambia County

Gaetz said other nuclear reactor technology exists that could be cheaper and safer, but it is being blocked for political reasons.

"Because the special interests who build $60 billion light water reactors want to be the only game in town, they use their influence to impair broader access to nuclear power," Gaetz said. "That is counterproductive in my view and could be solved through the 'Green Real Deal.'"

Other ideas Gaetz will put forward in his "Green Real Deal" include eliminating regulations that he said block more hydroelectric dams from being built, calling for carbon sequestration by pumping carbon dioxide underground into dried up oil wells and protecting U.S. innovation in green technology from intellectual property theft by other countries like China.

Will Republicans support Gaetz's 'Green Real Deal?'

Republicans have often responded to Ocasio-Cortez's "Green New Deal" with mockery.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, took to the Senate floor on Tuesday, giving a speech mocking the "Green New Deal" aided by posters with images from Star Wars, Aquaman and a painting of former President Ronald Reagan with a rocket-propelled grenade strapped to his back and firing a sub-machine gun riding astride the back of a velociraptor, while the dinosaur itself is depicted carrying a tattered American flag.

"This image has as much to do with overcoming communism in the 20th century as the 'Green New Deal' has to do with overcoming climate change in the 21st," Lee said. "The aspirations of the proposal have been called radical, they've been called extreme — but mostly — they're ridiculous. There isn't a single serious idea here. Not one."

Trump himself mocked the "Green New Deal" during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month, poking fun at the idea of wind energy.

"Darling, is the wind blowing today? I’d like to watch television,” Trump said.

Gaetz acknowledged the president may not be on board with wind energy, but said he believes he can be persuaded.

"I think with a real strategy, the president would be persuadable," Gaetz said. "What the president doesn't support is the notion that climate change is justification to allow Washington to run every element of every person's life, and I agree with him in that regard."

Gaetz's "Green Real Deal" has garnered praise in some conservative circles, including with Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, a nonprofit dedicated to engaging Republicans on renewable energy. The organization's executive director, Heather Reams, has encouraged other Republicans to support Gaetz's resolution.

Gaetz said he's not sure if the proposal will be embraced by other Republicans or rejected.

The "Green New Deal" was used by Senate Republicans on Tuesday to try to divide Democrats on the issue. Republicans forced a procedural vote on the Democratic resolution, which was then voted down by Republicans without a single Senate Democrat supporting the proposal. Democrats instead voted "present."

Gaetz said he believes the Republicans need to be the party pushing for a solution on climate change.

"Those who would criticize my ideas as too modest sit in the ivory towers of their own piety without any legislative progress," Gaetz said. "And so, my goal is to get moving on some these common sense, free market ideas. If all we do is sit around debating whether or not the earth is warming, and whether or not we're going to outlaw buildings, cars, cows and airplanes, then we will be overtaken by the events that are occurring on earth."

Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.