Latest news from the League of Conservation Voters

[DaveSZ]

September 9, 2004
Slandering Salazar

Something's rotten in the Rockies -- and the smell can be traced to a trade group funded by insurance and pharmaceutical companies. The Virginia-based company began airing an ad that accused Colorado Senate candidate Ken Salazar of standing by during a devastating cyanide spill at a mine in Summitville, Colorado. The problem is, the ad is baseless. Not only did the disaster occur before Salazar became head of the state's Department of Natural Resources, he recovered millions from the polluters to clean up the site. LCV came to Salazar's defense against what the Rocky Mountain News calls the "Summitville Slur," airing an ad that sets the record straight: As state Attorney General, Ken Salazar created Colorado's first environmental crimes unit, fined polluters, and put them in jail. His stellar environmental record has earned him an LCV endorsement in his bid for Colorado's Senate seat.


New Mexican Mission


Lynn Davidson, a California resident, is on the ground for LCV in New Mexico. For nearly nine hours Monday through Thursday she's hard at work with other volunteers knocking on doors, seeking out and educating undecided voters in a key battleground state. Lynn hasn't been involved in a campaign since 1968 -- but her displeasure with the Bush Administration has prompted her to action. So, she joined LCV's Environmental Victory Project.

"There's nothing like working face-to-face with people," Davidson said. She chose to canvass with LCV because "they were ready for me," providing housing and plenty of work for volunteers. "Maybe, on a good night, I'll get half a dozen undecided voters. I'll knock on maybe 75 doors, maybe I'll talk to 35 people, and maybe get five or six who aren't totally committed." That may sound like peanuts, but Davidson emphasizes that in 2000, Gore won New Mexico by only 366 votes.

Sponsor a volunteer like Lynn Davidson and make sure for the next 55 days we continue to reach critical undecided voters in our battleground states. Lynn knows she's making a difference. "We in the office are convinced that if Kerry carries New Mexico, it's going to be because of us." Let's not let Lynn down!

Please sponsor an LCV volunteer TODAY!

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A generous donor is matching contributions dollar-for-dollar. Your contributions DOUBLE from now through October 15th!


Back to School Reading

The former Republican Governor of Delaware calls the Bush Administration a "frightening time for America." His book rallies all Americans to oppose a White House who has "declared war on the environment, threatening the health of our air, water, land, climate and plants and animals." Peterson's "Patriot's Stand Up" is available for free on his Web site.

http://www.governorpeterson.org/Excerpt_A.htm

From another angle, noted environmental scholar David Orr calls for a "higher patriotism" committed to justice, equity, and sustainability. His provocative set of thirteen essays, "The Last Refuge: Patriotism, Politics, and the Environment in an Age of Terror", examines everything from the corrosive influence of money to our mounting ecological problems. Orr's book is published by Island Press.

Both authors are speaking at LCV's Annual Dinners in a few weeks, but if you can't make it to hear them in person, we encourage you to read their insightful and inspiring analysis in their new books. Stay tuned for more about LCV's Annual Dinners.


40, But Not Over the Hill

The Wilderness Act turned 40 last week, marking a milestone in the protection of America's wild lands. Over these last decades, Congress has designated 106 million acres of land protected from road-building, commercial logging, mining, and gas and oil drilling. Over the last four years, the Bush Administration has signed off on fewer new designations than any other administration in the last four decades. And last year, the Administration lifted a ban on new oil and gas leases on land proposed for wilderness designation. Since then, industry has been given leases on tens of thousands of acres of land being considered for protection. This coupled with the Bush Administration's desire to roll back protections for millions of acres of roadless areas -- often prime candidates for wilderness designation -- is seen by environmentalists as an attempt to slow the growth of wilderness areas.

More:
http://www.lcv.org/News/News.cfm?orgid=insider090904&ID=3173&c=27&MX=426&H=1




Terrific Texas Trio

LCV spotlights a Texas Trio in our latest installment of endorsements:

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX-25) has fought for clean air and has been a champion on environmental justice issues. In 1998, he led a legislative battle to prevent a nuclear waste facility from being built in a low-income Hispanic community in Texas. He has consistently received high marks from LCV, scoring a lifetime 98 percent.

Rep. Martin Frost (TX-32) will face incumbent Rep. Pete Sessions (R) due to redistricting in the state of Texas. One major difference between Frost and his opponent is their position on quality of life issues and holding the Dallas area accountable to high clean air standards. Rep. Frost supports new EPA standards to improve air quality in one of the most polluted cities in the country.

Rep. Nick Lampson (TX-02) has worked to safeguard water and air quality as well as maintain safeguards for wildlife and wildlife habitat in our national forests. Lampson faces a tough battle in his newly redrawn district.