WASHINGTON Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), a prominent climate change denier who chairs the House Science Committee, announced on Thursday that he is retiring from the House after his term ends next year.

At the end of this Congress, I will have completed my six-year term as chairman of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, he wrote in an email to supporters on Thursday afternoon. I have one new grandchild and a second arriving soon! And I hope to find other ways to stay involved in politics.

With over a year remaining in my term, there is still much to do, he added. There is legislation to enact, dozens of hearings to hold and hundreds of votes to cast.

The news, first reported by the Texas Tribune, comes as several other Republican lawmakers have announced recently that they are stepping down, with some facing tough primary challenges in response to the anti-establishment direction being taken by the GOP since President Donald Trump s election.