How You Can Help Six Environmental Champions
Every two years, we say that this election is among the most
pivotal in recent history. This time, it's really true. The race for
the White House is expected to be close, and a switch in a handful
of seats could restore a pro-environment majority in the House and
Senate. (On April 6, we lost a Senate vote on drilling in the Arctic
by one vote.) A number of veteran lawmakers are retiring as well,
leaving open seats up for grabs.
The Congress is closely divided between pro- and
anti-environmental forces. Since the House and Senate leadership are
hostile to environmental protection, it has been difficult to pass
measures that would promote smart growth in communities, protect the
Arctic Refuge from oil drilling and raise fuel-economy standards for
cars and trucks.
But the anti-environmentalists haven't been able to pass
stand-alone bills that weaken protections. Instead, they've whittled
away at past gains by attaching riders to budget bills. President
Clinton has vetoed or blocked many, but not all, of these
rider-infested packages.
Whether or not environmentalists in the 107th Congress can get
back to protecting public lands and health instead of playing
defense depends in part on who we choose to represent us this
November. Below are six environmental champions we want to make sure
are on the job.
Opponents of environmental protection will be receiving big
contributions from the usual suspects. To counter the influence of
big money, these six pro-environment candidates need your help.
Please send a check to the addresses listed below. (Be sure to write
"Sierra Club" on the bottom of your check or include a note to let
these candidates know we'll stand by them on election day.)
Jim Saxton (R-N.J.)
Jim Saxton, Republican representative from New Jersey's central
3rd District, is facing his first competitive race in recent years.
He has worked diligently to pass measures protecting America's
beaches and remaining open spaces, and is a steadfast leader on many
environmental issues, particularly on the House Resources
Committee.
In the 1980s, New Jersey's shores were in dire condition due to a
combination of industrial pollution, its growing urban populations,
and medical-waste and sewer-sludge dumping. Saxton led the fight to
clean up the state's beaches by sponsoring and passing key national
marine and river protection acts. His leadership allowed for major
improvements in beach and marine conditions throughout the
Northeast. He has pledged to continue his fight to protect America's
shorelines, wildlife and open spaces if re-elected in November.
Recently, he signed on to two key environmental bills, despite
strong opposition from special interests. One would protect the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from any future oil drilling, the
other would conserve the redrock wilderness of Utah. In addition, he
is a strong supporter of campaign-finance reform.
To help Saxton keep this seat, please send a check to Friends of
Jim Saxton, 112 High St., Mt. Holly, NJ 08060; (609) 267-8811.
Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
California state Sen. Adam Schiff is waging a tough battle to
unseat Rep. Jim Rogan (R) in the 27th District. While Rogan has long
been considered an opponent of environmental causes - he received a
League of Conservation Voters score of 6 percent in 1999 -
challenger Schiff has an established record of leadership on the
environment.
As a criminal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Schiff
had a 100 percent conviction record on cases involving toxic dumping
and political corruption. He continued his advocacy on environmental
issues when he became a state senator: He earned a 100 percent
California LCV score and is an aggressive champion of the Livable
Glendale Project, a smart-growth proposal.
One of the California Senate's most prolific lawmakers, Schiff
authored 40 measures during the 1997-98 session that were signed
into law by then-Gov. Pete Wilson (R). They include an expansion of
the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy and completion of the Pasadena
Blue Line light rail. He has also been a supporter of
campaign-finance reform, which Rogan has consistently opposed.
The Sierra Club has endorsed Schiff in all his campaigns, and in
March 2000 the Club's Angeles Chapter gave him an award for
outstanding special service.
To assist Schiff in winning this seat, please send a check to
Schiff for Congress, 35 S. Raymond Avenue, Suite 206, Pasadena, CA
91105; (626) 583-8581; http://www.adamschiff2000.com/.
Jim Jeffords (R-Vt.)
With a 1999 LCV score of 89 percent - the highest of any Senate
Republican - Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords has championed many
environmental issues and has helped to gain bipartisan support for
environmental protections. He has also been a supporter of
campaign-finance reform.
Jeffords has supported community right-to-know laws,
strengthening clean-water standards and controlling pollution from
power plants.
Recently, Jeffords joined the Sierra Club's effort to block oil
drilling in the Arctic by supporting an amendment that would strip
provisions from the Senate FY 2001 budget sanctioning drilling
there.
To assist Jeffords in keeping the seat, please send a check to
Jeffords for Vermont Committee, P.O. Box 246, Montpelier, VT 05602;
(802) 773-8144.
Nancy Keenan (D-Mont.)
Nancy Keenan (D) is running a tough race to replace retiring Rep.
Rick Hill (R) as Montana's lone representative in Congress. Polling
data released in late May show Keenan running neck-and-neck with her
opponent, former Lt. Gov. Dennis Rehberg (R), a formidable candidate
with considerable experience and good name recognition.
Keenan has won statewide campaigns already: She is currently
state superintendent of public instruction for Montana. She served
in the state legislature in the 1980s, where she had a strong record
of voting to protect Montana's environment.
Natural-resource issues are likely to be pivotal in this
campaign, and Rehberg is trying to make himself look like a
conservationist. But Keenan, who as superintendent serves as
guardian of the state trust lands, is the one taking a strong stand
in favor of protection of federal public lands. She supports efforts
to protect our remaining wild forests through the Forest Service's
roadless initiative, which Rehberg opposes as a "continuation of the
War on the West [by] the Clinton administration." Also, Keenan is
calling for increases in the Land and Water Conservation Fund to
acquire sensitive lands, while Rehberg opposes current attempts to
fully fund LWCF.
Help Keenan win this seat by sending a check to Nancy Keenan for
Montana, P.O. Box 9249, Helena, MT 59604; (406) 443-8728.
Michael Forbes (D-N.Y.)
Michael Forbes, who represents the eastern half of Long Island,
stunned both sides of the House last July by leaving the Republican
Party for the Democrats. Predictably, the National Republican
Campaign Committee named Forbes its No. 1 target in the 2000
elections. Forbes has a formidable GOP opponent in Supervisor Felix
Grucci.
A tireless advocate for coastal protection, Forbes sponsored the
Long Island Sound Preservation and Protection Act and has used his
assignment on the House Appropriations Committee to gain funding for
improvements. In 1999, he earned an LCV score of 75 percent.
In contrast, Grucci has a record of shutting out the public on
town zoning matters. Forbes has been a consistent supporter of
campaign-finance reform efforts in Congress.
The Sierra Club also supported Forbes as a pro-environmental
Republican in Congress.
To help Forbes keep his House seat, please send a check to
Friends of Mike Forbes, P.O. Box 505, Farmingville, NY 11738; (516)
696-8100.
Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich)
Four years ago, the Sierra Club helped Rep. Debbie Stabenow (D)
defeat incumbent Dick Chrysler, an anti-environmental Republican.
Now she's running for the Senate and needs our help to defeat
another anti-environmental Republican incumbent, Spencer Abraham
(R).
Since 1996, Stabenow has fought off attempts to weaken clean-air
and clean-water protections, and voted to increase funding to
protect open spaces. She has a lifetime LCV score of 83 percent.
Abraham, on the other hand, with a lifetime LCV score of 7, voted
for a bill that would have made it difficult, if not impossible, to
adopt new safeguards to protect the Great Lakes from water
pollution. He also voted against drinking-water protections and
funding for programs that would have helped clean up the Great
Lakes.
Abraham also consistently opposed campaign-finance reform.
Stabenow supports it.
To assist Debbie Stabenow in taking over the seat, please send a
check to Stabenow for U.S. Senate, P.O. Box 4945, East Lansing, MI
48826; (517) 336-8500.
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