Clean Energy News

New Video Showcases Grassroots Support For Obama As Best Candidate For The Environment And Our Energy Future

Albuquerque, NM—Environment New Mexico today endorsed Barack Obama for President, citing his clear and bold solutions to our current energy woes and strong commitment to the protection of our environment. 

“Senator Obama has publicly committed to fully addressing the pressing problem of global warming and moving the United States toward a new energy future.  He has made clean energy one of the top issues of his campaign and as a public servant at the state and federal levels has a long and consistent record of supporting the environment,” said Environment New Mexico Advocate Lauren Ketcham.

Environment New Mexico’s endorsement was coordinated with Environment America and the federation of 25 other state environmental organizations with more than 750,000 members and activists nationally.  Environment New Mexico has received significant support from members who sent in comments in response to our endorsement decision over the last few weeks, including:

-         “I believe he is our best bet for improving the environment, curbing globing warming, developing and implementing clean energy sources and incentives thus steering the U.S. away from the need for foreign oil, making polluters pay for their environmental transgressions, and lastly, he is our best hope for preserving and protecting our precious civil liberties!” from Rebecca B. in Albuquerque, and

-         “Obama understands that we must work for the environment while we try to change our energy policies. He is concentrating on clean, renewable sources. Obama knows that global warming is not just a threat - it is an imminent disaster” from Mary S. in Albuquerque.

As a part of its endorsement, Environment New Mexico released a video of a sampling of members across the country making the case for Senator Obama as the next environmental president in their own words.  The video can be viewed at http://www.environmentamerica.org/issues/election-2008.

Over his career as a U.S. Senator Senator Obama has voted with Environment America 86% of the time, including achieving a 90% on the 2008 Environment America Congressional scorecard.  His one vote missed in our 2008 scorecard was an absence rather than a vote in opposition. 

By comparison, Senator McCain has an extremely disappointing lifetime voting score of 30 percent for votes scored by Environment America.  John McCain has voted against requiring polluters to pay for clean-up of toxic waste sites; he voted against the public’s right to know about pollution in their communities; and Senator McCain has voted to weaken safe drinking water protections. 

“Despite his willingness to buck his party on the existence of global warming, John McCain just isn’t the president we need to reverse eight years of the anti-environmental Bush Administration” noted Ketcham.

Environment New Mexico’s national federation has prepared a report on the environmental records of both candidates, including their lifetime environmental voting records, which is available at http://www.environmentamerica.org/issues/election-2008.

Environment New Mexico is committed to working with our federation of state organizations to mount an aggressive effort to secure a victory for Barack Obama including grassroots outreach to our members and the public.

###

Paid for by Environment New Mexico at www.environmentnewmexico.org. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. P.O. Box 40173Albuquerque, New Mexico 87196