A GOP candidate for a congressional seat representing Washington’s fourth district used the Bible on Saturday to back up his approach to the environment and energy.

“I’m going to quote from the Bible: ‘The Earth was put here for the benefit of man,'” attorney George Cicotte said during a candidate forum when asked about energy policy. “We’re stewards of this earth. We have a responsibility to use it reasonably, conservatively. In fact, I’ve always thought environmentalism should be a conservative issue. We don’t think the environment is sacred. It’s here for our use, and we treat it respectably.”

Cicotte said that he was open to all energy sources, and lamented that environmentalists “stopped nuclear in its tracks” in the 1970s. He argued that moving toward nuclear energy would have reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

“Really, when we talk about energy problems, most of the energy problems are caused by environmentalists,” he said.

While he pushed for more nuclear energy, he scoffed at wind energy.

“Wind energy? I’ll be honest — give me a break,” he said. “There would not be a single windmill in this entire state were it not for tons of irrational federal government spending. They’re trying to light a brush fire with wind and it ain’t working.”

[H/t ThinkProgress]