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As Polls Shows Climate Action Winning Issue, Green Campaigners Mobilize for Democrats in Key Senate and House Races
"The politics of climate change have changed, and voters from coast to coast back bold action on climate."
Oct 02, 2020
Determined to elect candidates who will fight for the climate action that an increasing majority of the American public demands, five national organizations on Friday launched the "Green Wave 2020" initiative, a multimillion-dollar effort to elect Democratic candidates in competitive House and Senate races.
As new polling revealed the extent to which a majority of voters are demanding bold action to address the climate emergency, the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Action, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund, and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Action Fund announced the campaign.
"Arizona, Iowa, Maine, and South Carolina could hardly be more different, but solid majorities of voters in each state support building a clean energy economy."
--Lori Lodes, Climate Power 2020
"The stakes for the environment, for our climate, and for communities suffering the worst consequences of toxic pollution across the nation have never been more stark than in 2020," said Sierra Club President Ramon Cruz in a statement. "This unprecedented mobilization of our collective membership, including millions of members nationwide, will also help build lasting infrastructure in key states and districts that environmental champions running for office can rely upon for future election cycles."
Data for Progress released new surveys of voters in Maine, Arizona, South Carolina, and Iowa showing that majorities of voters in the key states want the federal government to invest in climate policies that would allow the U.S. to fully transition to a renewable energy economy by 2035.
Maine voters were the most enthusiastic about bold climate action, with 65% of respondents saying they support investments in clean electricity. In each of the states, independent voters said they want the federal government to invest in bold reforms; 54% of Arizona independents agreed, while 53% of Iowa independents, 61% of Maine independents, and 57% of South Carolina independent voters said they want the government to prioritize a shift to clean electricity.
The poll numbers confirm that climate action is far from being an issue that's favored only in blue states or by Democratic voters, said Climate Power 2020, a coalition formed by the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the LCV, and the Sierra Club.
"The politics of climate change have changed, and voters from coast to coast back bold action on climate," said Lori Lodes, executive director of Climate Power 2020. "Arizona, Iowa, Maine, and South Carolina could hardly be more different, but solid majorities of voters in each state support building a clean energy economy."
In addition to backing "environmental champions" running in four Senate races and more than 30 House elections, including Sara Gideon in Maine and Rep. Cindy Axne in Iowa, Green Wave 2020 is boosting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's campaign efforts in swing states.
The proposal that Data for Progress's survey focused on "is a cornerstone of Joe Biden's transformational plan to invest in clean energy infrastructure and combat climate change," said Lodes.
The Green Wave campaign is sending 70 professional organizers into 15 states to oversee remote phone and text banking supporting the candidates. Organizers will also promote early and mail-in voting.
Margie Alt, a climate campaigner and former executive director of Environment America, boosted recruitment efforts on social media.
\u201cLast day to vote is just a 32 days away! Let me know if you want to help us elect #climatechampions to Congress and the White House #greenwave2020\nhttps://t.co/47zccIkeQo\u201d— Margie Alt (@Margie Alt) 1601651845
"The organizers will work to mobilize environmental group members to volunteer on elections to help the environmental community build a Green Wave that is big and strong enough to turn the tide in Washington D.C.," a press release announcing Green Wave 2020 stated.
Climate Power 2020 urged Biden to pay close attention to Data for Progress's poll--just the latest survey to indicate how important bold climate action is to voters.
"Climate is a top issue among the voters who will determine this election--Republican-leaning suburban women, youth voters, and voters of color," said the group. "Biden needs to appeal to independent voters--chiefly women--who swung from Obama to Trump in 2016 to win...Voters from across the political spectrum and across the country have increasingly noted that climate is influencing their enthusiasm to vote and is playing a factor in who they will support up-and-down the ballot next month."
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Green Group Sues US Govt For Hiding Tar Sands Plan
National Wildlife Federation says State Department concealed public records about possible plan to move dirty oil through New England
Apr 25, 2014
The National Wildlife Federation filed a lawsuit this week charging the U.S. State Department is refusing to disclose public information about a pipeline company's possible plans to transport dangerous tar sands oil from Montreal to the coast of Maine.
The lawsuit takes aim at the oil industry's repeated claims that there is no plan to transport the dirty oil through New England, despite numerous indications that such a plan indeed exists.
A 70-year-old, 236-mile pipeline, owned by Portland Pipeline Corporation (which is majority owned by Exxon-Mobile), currently transports crude oil from freighters in the city of South Portland, Maine to Montreal.
Yet, environmental and community organizations say there are strong signs that PPL and parent company Montreal Pipe Line Company is planning to reverse the flow of the pipeline in order to transport tar sands oil from Canada to South Portland where it would then be distributed to international markets via oil tankers and an upgraded terminal.
NWF is accusing the State Department of refusing to respond satisfactorily to a Freedom of Information Act request (pdf) filed over two years ago for public documents about such plans.
In a statement announcing the lawsuit, the NWF charges that the State Department has neglected to hand over a "key 2008 document from Exxon-owned Portland Pipe Line Corporation's attorney detailing a previous plan to reverse the pipeline for tar sands use"--information the environmental group says provides critical information about the company's future intentions to move tar sands.
"The public has gotten very little information about what the true the intentions are," said Miles Grant, senior communications manager for NWF, in an interview with Common Dreams. "This should be public record."
According to NWF, more than 40 towns in Northern New England have passed resolutions against moving tar sands through the region. In South Portland, a local effort to pass a zoning ordinance to block a future tar sands terminal was narrowly defeated last year after the oil industry poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into a campaign to squash the measure. South Portland organizers have vowed to continue the fight to keep tar sands out of their city.
While PPL claims it has no current plan to reverse the pipeline, critics charge that their refusal to share information about their plan casts doubt on this claim.
"Information is power, and that is why they are trying to hide their plans," Robert Sellin, from the group Protect South Portland, told Common Dreams.
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