Yesterday saw major victories that set the stage for a safer, cleaner, smarter America.

At least eight of LCV's Dirty Dozen – anti-environmentalists in Congress – went down. We are keeping a close watch on the three races that are currently undecided, especially in Virginia where Senator George Allen is expected to lose. Additionally, eight out of nine of our Environmental Champions prevailed.

Check out LCV's Election Results: http://www.lcv.org/campaigns/endorsements/

Americans showed Washington that we're fed up with energy policies that benefit only Big Oil. We will no longer allow our elected leaders to ignore the perils of global warming. We want to break our addiction to oil. A top order of business with the new environmental majority in Congress is to end the billions of dollars in subsidies for Big Oil - that's a great return for our children's future.

Election Day was turned into a referendum on energy policy and the environment. Across the country, and across party lines, the environment was a major winner.

 America chose leaders who put their interests above Big Oil's.

Want more details? Click here: http://www.lcv.org/campaigns/endorsements/

Thank you for all that you do.

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski
President
League of Conservation Voters


P.S. Even as we celebrate, our work is not over. We have opened the door to a better energy future, but we must ensure that new and returning elected leaders follow through on their environmental promises. Also, we must prevent a last-minute push by the current Congress to sneak through remnants of their Big Oil agenda.

Excerpt from the Sierra Club:

America elected a greener U.S. House, a greener U.S. Senate, several greener Governors, and gave a green light to move in the direction of a new energy future. Green candidates were elected at every level of government and in every region in the country. With so many wonderful victories for the environment, it's hard to recognize them all, but here are a few worth highlighting:

With the election of Jerry McNerney in California, we had our biggest victory with the defeat of Richard Pombo, an extreme anti-environmental incumbent.  The Sacramento Bee reported this morning that even the ousted candidate recognized this fact: "Pombo ... has contended that whatever difficulties his reelection drive encountered had ...more to do with concerted efforts of environmental groups and other critics who targeted his race."

Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum -- who voted against a sound energy policy, voted against renewable energy, and voted against protecting our children from dangerous mercury emissions -- was soundly defeated. Pennsylvania's new Senator-elect Bob Casey recognizes global warming as a real, immediate threat and supports federal action to solve the problem.

Ted Strickland in Ohio was elected to replace Bob Taft as Governor. Strickland has a detailed strategy to move Ohio from the renewable energy 'hall of shame' to the head of the class. He plans to offer incentives to green manufacturers to create a regulatory environment that will attract new capital and new businesses to the state.

Bill Ritter was elected Governor of Colorado. He will promote Colorado's unique homegrown blend of wind, solar, and agricultural energy supplies to put the state on the cutting edge of clean energy technology nationwide.

In the House, new greener Members of Congress were elected in every region of the country. We have gained at least 20 new seats where an anti-environment incumbent was replaced by a green challenger.

A big thanks to all of you who played a role in this wonderful day for the Sierra Club, for the environment, and for America.

Carl Pope
Executive Director
Sierra Club

Liora's Note: One can't help noticing that the victorious pro-environment candidates listed above are Democrats, while defeated pro-Big Oil candidates are Republican. Let's hope that the new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives bodes well for the environment as a whole, although, as LVC president Gen Karpinski states, "our work is not over" to safeguard the environment. Read this excerpt from the Audubon Society:

The challenge now is to rise above partisanship and enact policies that protect our natural resources while addressing critical energy problems. Voters want solutions and an end to a special interest-dominated energy policy that has consisted of little more than drilling, despoiling and denial. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle can meet voter expectations by blazing the trail to a clean energy future that protects human health, wildlife and treasured places.

We look to the new Congress and its leaders to offer constructive dialog over dogma, and solid solutions over sound bites. Now is the time for real and lasting progress on energy and other priority conservation concerns:

• Combating global warming, while preparing for its already escalating consequences;
• Safeguarding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge;
• Ensuring protection of our endangered species;
• Adequately funding enforcement of federal environmental regulations and legislation, conservation programs, and essential, overdue upkeep of national parks and refuges; and
• Protecting and restoring wetlands vital to environmental and economic health.
  
  
  --Audubon Society President John Flicker
  
  
  

League of Conservation Voters: http://www.lcv.org/

Sierra Club: http://www.sierraclub.org/

National Audubon Society: http://www.audubon.org/

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