24,000 Strong Oregon Environmental Organization Endorses Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate

The Sierra Club, one of Oregon's Largest and Most Progressive Environmental Organizations, Praises Merkley's Leadership and Slams Gordon Smith's Record

PORTLAND - The Sierra Club and its 24,000 Oregon members today endorsed Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate, touting his commitment to tackling global warming, protecting public lands, and his successful track record of making Oregon a leader in renewable energy. The organization slammed Gordon Smith's environmental record, citing Smith's history of supporting many of the Bush administration's failed environmental policies over the past six years, and his lack of leadership in protecting the environment on behalf of the people of Oregon.

The Sierra Club, one of the state's largest and most progressive environmental organizations, thoroughly examined candidates' overall environmental records and platforms, involving volunteers across Oregon as well as the organization's statewide and national political committees.

The Sierra Club cited Jeff's successful history of fighting for environmental solutions in the Oregon Legislature, including unprecedented investments in renewable energy, new recycling laws, efforts to protect Oregon's water supplies from toxic discharges, and stopping the pollution that causes global warming. To view Jeff's plans to tackle global warming, visit www.jeffmerkley.com. As Speaker of the Oregon House, Jeff:

Passed a package of bills that constitute the strongest global warming reduction measures in the nation, including:

*requiring Oregon to obtain 25% of its energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar power by 2025;

*establishing a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 75 percent below 1990 levels by 2050;

*creating and expanding renewable energy tax credits for consumers and businesses that encourage investment in energy efficiency, conservation and renewables.

*Protected the Oregon coast from offshore drilling and exploration;
*Passed new fees on Oregon's worst emitters of air pollution;
*Expanded Oregon's bottle recycling program for the first time in over 30 years and established an electronic recycling programs to recycle old computers and other electronics; and
*Passed historic legislation that puts Oregon on the path of reducing or eliminating discharges of toxic heavy metals, pesticides and pharmaceuticals that enter Oregon's rivers and streams.

"Speaker Merkley has been a champion for the environment and Oregon's economy, passing legislation that has created economic opportunity, benefits to consumers, and green jobs that are tackling the greatest environmental challenge of our time - global climate change," said Ivan Maluski, Conservation Coordinator for the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club. "Gordon Smith has been inconsistent and unreliable, often walking in lock-step with the Bush administration. He's been swayed by big oil companies, timber industry cash, and destructive mining interests. Oregonians value clean air, clean water, and the precious natural resources that boost Oregon's quality of life, and we all deserve a U.S. Senator who will protect and fight for these values"

"I am honored to have the support of the 24,000 members of the Sierra Club in this state and the backing of their national organization," said Jeff Merkley. "Together we will defeat Gordon Smith, tackle global warming, and create good-paying green-collar jobs for hardworking Oregon families."

While running for re-election in 2002, Republican Gordon Smith pledged to the people of Oregon that he would oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Then in 2005 and 2006, Smith voted to allow drilling. [The Oregonian, 8/22/06; Vote 303, 11/3/05; Los Angeles Times, 11/4/05; New York Times, 11/4/05; Vote 74, 3/16/06; Washington Post, 3/18/06; Anchorage Daily News, 3/17/06; Los Angeles Times, 3/17/06].

While Smith was breaking his promises on drilling in the Arctic, he was making new promises to the big oil companies, which contributed over $275,000 for his campaign. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 3/13/08]

Gordon Smith has also refused to support important legislation to tackle global warming. Labeled a member of the "Flat Earth Society," by The Daily Astorian newspaper for his opposition to the Climate Stewardship Act in 2003 (12/8/03), Gordon Smith has continued to ignore pleas from Independents, Republicans, and regular Oregonians to stop listening the special interests and the big oil companies and reduce the pollution that causes global warming. The Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act, also known as the Boxer-Sanders bill (S. 309), would set greenhouse gas reduction targets similar to those adopted by Oregon in 2007. While this bill has Jeff Merkley's full support, Gordon Smith's lack of interest in this legislation shows that he is failing once again to show leadership on global climate change.

Following the Bush administration's pattern of ignoring and undermining sound science, Smith defended Vice President Dick Cheney when Cheney diverted scarce water in the Klamath Basin in 2002. This resulted in the death of tens of thousands of fish that year, a devastating blow to Oregon's coastal fishing communities, who faced a near-shut down of commercial fisheries in 2006 related to the unprecedented and massive fish die-off. [Editorial, Register-Guard, 8/14/07] Smith has also fought to limit fees paid by polluters - polluters like his family's company, Smith Frozen Foods, which was forced to pay thousands of dollars in fines for illegally discharging wastewater directly into a creek in July 2007, the third such water pollution violation since the early 1990's. [The Oregonian, 9/22/07]

Smith has also marched lock-step with the Bush administration's backwards policies that seek to eliminate the scientific framework of the Northwest Forest Plan, resulting in proposals to log Oregon's roadless areas, old growth forests, sensitive salmon-bearing streams and drinking watersheds. Oregonians overwhelmingly support policies to protect roadless areas, drinking watersheds, wild salmon and old growth forests, but Smith has chosen special interests over good science and balanced policies, co-authoring failed legislation that would have led to unprecedented logging in southern Oregon roadless areas and protected old growth forests. Earlier this month, speaking at the Dorchester Convention, Gordon Smith made a new election year pledge. "No logger left behind," he said, while supporting the Bush administration's industry crafted forest policies [Dorchester Convention, 3/1/08].

More than 200,000 men and women from more than 15 different organizations have endorsed Jeff Merkley's campaign. Jeff's campaign has also been endorsed by Governor Ted Kulongoski, Governor Barbara Roberts, 4 other statewide office holders, 15 Oregon mayors, 30 State Representatives, and 12 State Senators, and teachers, farmers, veterans, and health care workers across Oregon.

Jeff Merkley spent his early years in rural communities where the children of loggers and mill workers learned the value of honest work, good neighbors, and strong families. Jeff earned scholarships and became the first in his family to go to college. To stop nuclear proliferation, he went on to serve as a national security analyst, first for the Pentagon and then for Congress. After returning to Oregon with his wife Mary, Jeff led Habitat for Humanity and worked with low-income families to rebuild neighborhoods and purchase their first home.

Eighteen months ago, Jeff led a band of progressives to take control of the Oregon House and became the first Democratic speaker in sixteen years. The Register-Guard called Jeff's session as speaker "one of the most productive in decades." He fought special interests to make health care more affordable, clamped down on pay day loan scams, passed landmark environmental legislation, and created thousands of family-supporting jobs in Oregon.

Today, Speaker Merkley lives in East Multnomah County with Mary and their two children, Jonathan age eleven and Brynne age ten.

Posted March 14, 2008
Endorsements, Press