WASHINGTON - Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund (Defenders Action Fund) launched a targeted radio and web campaign (www.headsinthesand.org) on Thursday, June 14th to hold accountable five anti-environmental congressmen who have their “heads in the sand” on global warming.
The five Congressmen – Reps. Ken Calvert (CA), John Doolittle (CA), Dean Heller (NV), Steve Pearce (NM), and Rick Renzi (AZ) – have ignored the facts on global warming because of the undue influence of corporate polluters and their lobbyists.
“Americans want action now on global warming,” said Defenders Action Fund President Rodger Schlickeisen. “But extreme anti-environmentalists in Congress, epitomized by these five, continue to have their heads stuck in the sand on energy policy while taking money from big oil and polluters. We’re launching the ‘Heads in the Sand’ campaign to hold these members accountable to their constituents.”
“Heads in the Sand” is an integrated radio and Internet campaign similar to the “Pombo in Their Pocket” campaign launched by the Defenders Action Fund in 2005. That campaign highlighted the anti-environmental extremist record of then-Chairman of the House Resources Committee, Richard Pombo. This current campaign is the first such effort by the Action Fund to hold accountable members of Congress for their position on the critical issue of global warming. As part of the effort, Defenders is running radio ads in each member’s district, highlighting their positions on global warming, their ties to the oil and gas industries, and in some cases, corruption charges they are facing. The ads direct listeners to an expanded accountability site, www.headsinthesand.org, which highlights the extreme anti-environmental record of these five members.
All five congressmen have a record of anti-conservation, pro-global warming votes and have accepted significant donations, in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars, from Big Oil and other corporate polluters. The four congressmen who served in the 109th Congress scored 5 percent or lower on the Action Fund’s latest Conservation Report Card. On Wednesday, Reps. Pearce and Heller – both members of the House Natural Resources Committee – voted against legislation to help combat global warming and protect wildlife from its impacts.
“We’re looking to send a clear message that the American people won’t tolerate representatives who continue to favor big polluters and their special interests,” Schlickeisen said. “Despite the overwhelming scientific consensus, there are still members of Congress with their heads in the sand on global warming. That’s why we’re launching this new project to hold these five lawmakers accountable for endangering our wildlife, our wild places and our children’s future.”
“These are just the first five members we’re targeting; any anti-environmental member who favors oil and gas money interests and obstructs meaningful effort to combat global warming could be next,” added Schlickeisen. To listen to the ads, visit www.headsinthesand.org.
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The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund www.defendersactionfund.org provides a powerful voice in Washington to Americans who value our conservation heritage. Through grassroots lobbying, issue advocacy and political campaigns, the Action Fund champions those laws and lawmakers that protect wildlife and wild places while working against those that do them harm.
June 14, 2007
