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E-M:/ Sierra Club Educates Public on The Abraham Record
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Enviro-Mich message from daniel.farough@sfsierra.sierraclub.org
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News from the Sierra Club
300 N. Washington Sq. Suite 411, Lansing, MI 48933. Phone 517/484-2372 Fax
517/484-3108
For Immediate Release: Contact:
Dan Farough, Lansing
Tuesday, April 25, 2000
517/484-2372
SIERRA CLUB LAUNCHES TV ADS ON SEN. ABRAHAM'S WEAK
ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD
RADIO ADS TO HIGHLIGHT REP. BONIOR'S STRONG RECORD
Group to Outline Six-Month Campaign to Educate Public
TV Ads, Voter Guides, Rallies in Months Ahead
SOUTHFIELD - The Sierra Club today launched a six-month accountability and
education campaign to inform the public about Sen. Spencer Abraham's weak record
on protecting the Great Lakes and water quality. In addition, the group is
working to highlight Rep. David Bonior's favorable record on protecting
Michigan's environment.
The campaign will begin running TV ads today throughout metro-Detroit as part of
a broader grassroots effort to call attention to a litany of votes Abraham made
against the Great Lakes and water quality. The Ads urge people to tell Sen.
Abraham to vote to support clean water laws in upcoming budget bills.
"The people of Michigan want clean water and healthly lakes and rivers, but Sen.
Abraham has been in Congress fighting against keeping Michigan's water safe and
the Great Lakes clean said Sierra Club, Environmental Education Campaign
Coordinator, Daniel Farough. "Sen. Abraham has amassed one of the worst
scorecards of the environment on record. It's no wonder he is spending so much
time trying to avoid a conversation on protecting the great lakes - a
conversation the people of Michigan have a right to hear."
The non-partisan League of Conservation Voters (LCV), which tracks key
environmental votes in Congress reports that Abraham received a 0% score for
1999 and a mere 7% lifetime record. Yet recent polling by LCV also suggests
that the people of Michigan demand stronger enforcement of clean water laws by
overwhelming margins (94%) and want the creation of stronger laws (87%).
"Abraham's record in the Senate has been totally inconsistent with the wishes of
Michiganders when it comes to protecting the Great Lakes and water," said Steve
Walker, a volunteer leader with the Sierra Club. "He has consistently voted for
roll backs in our clean water protections, right to know laws, and making
polluters pay their fair share for toxic waste clean-ups." Among the votes cited
by the group were measures to roll back clean water laws, block accelerated
clean-ups at toxic waste sites, and enforcement of environmental protections, as
well as efforts to block funding for the Clean Water Action plan.
"Rather than owning up to this record, Abraham has been investing considerable
energy in "green-washing" his record," observed Farough. Michigan families may
remember a plaid-shirted Abraham in scenic outdoor locations on T.V. urging
support for the Clean Michigan Initiative in 1998. The Clean Michigan
Initiative was formed by state lawmakers and approved by the public at the
ballot box - not by Senators in DC observed the group. "Sen. Abraham wants to
talk about anyone's record but his own," said Farough. "People in Michigan are
not interested in flannel shirts and fluff when the Great Lakes and water are on
the line. They want to know what he's been up to in DC."
Sierra Club will also be running radio ads in Macomb County thanking
Representative David Bonior for votes he made to protect the Great Lakes, water
quality and Michigan's environment and urging Bonior to support clean water laws
in upcoming Budget Bills. According to the League of Conservation Voters,
Bonior received a 100% score on key environmental votes in 1999.
The Detroit TV and radio Ads are part of a larger grassroots and volunteer
driven voter education outreach, which urges public officials to take stronger
positions on protecting Michigan's environment for our families and our future.
In the coming months the grassroots campaign will distribute vote charts, voter
guides, hold rallies, posts signs and other creative events to raise the profile
of the environment as an issue. Outreach campaigns such as this are also being
launched in 15 other sites across the country. The TV Ads, script and
documentation of the Abraham record are available at the Sierra Club Lansing
office at (517) 484-2372.
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