The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, which works to elect candidates who will support sound environmental policies, announced today its endorsement of Representative Beto O’Rourke for U.S. Senate from Texas.

“Beto O’Rourke has been a consistent champion for our right to clean air, water and conservation of public lands,” said LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “He has fought tirelessly to protect the health of communities across Texas and invest in renewable energy and clean jobs. We need climate action advocates like O’Rourke now more than ever. We are thrilled to endorse him for Senate.”

“As a lifelong Texan, Beto understands firsthand the challenges faced by the people of Texas,” said Elizabeth Doyel Executive Director of the Texas League of Conservation Voters. “He has always put the people of Texas first and has fought particularly hard for communities of color by prioritizing public health initiatives and condemning the xenophobic border wall. The protection of the Castner Ranger would never have happened without his leadership and we look forward to all that he will accomplish in the Senate.”

“At a time when the White House is rolling back conservation efforts across the country, scaling back our national parks and working to confirm climate change skeptics to environmental councils, Texans are demanding something better — a future where our kids and their kids can visit our national treasures, camp in our public lands and be guaranteed fresh air, clean water and a senator that believes in science,” said Congressman O’Rourke. “We are proud to have the endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund as our campaign discusses environmental concerns and works to make November 2018 a turning point for conservation efforts nationwide.”

With a lifetime score of 94% on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard, Representative Beto O’Rourke has a strong record of supporting pro-environment legislation during his tenure in the House of Representatives.  He has introduced legislation and pushed the previous administration to establish a national monument at Castner Range, which would protect over 7,000 acres of wilderness in the mountain range in El Paso and includes a historic U.S. military training facility. This November, O’Rourke successfully included a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act to protect Castner Range.  He has consistently fought against attacks on the EPA, opposed the Keystone XL pipeline, and supported clean water protections. O’Rourke was a supporter of the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan and strongly denounced President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. Prior to his election to Congress, O’Rourke served on the El Paso City Council, where he was a champion for conservation and sustainable planning.

So far in 2017, O’Rourke’s opponent, Senator Ted Cruz, has repeatedly voted to confirm climate science deniers to lead vital federal agencies that are supposed to serve as safeguards for our environment, public health, clean energy economy, and national security. He has repeatedly voted against regulations to promote clean air and water, against protections for public lands, and in favor of the fossil fuel industry and mining companies. Cruz has raised nearly $2.5 million from the oil and gas industry in his career, which helps explain his continued support for anti-environmental policies and his paltry lifetime score of 3% on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard.

The non-partisan Scorecard is the nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental and clean energy issues. Based on key environmental votes in the House and Senate, it is often used by the media to quickly describe a member’s record. For more information, visit https://scorecard.lcv.org

O’Rourke is featured on LCV Action Fund’s GiveGreen website, the only website devoted exclusively to raising money for environmental champions for federal office. Last cycle, LCV Action Fund raised more direct contributions to candidates through GiveGreen than ever before—over $8.3 million for state and federal candidates.

About LCV Action Fund

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, the connected federal political action committee (PAC) of the League of Conservation Voters, works to elect candidates who will implement sound environmental laws and policies, and defeat those who stand in the way of progress. Since the 1994 election cycle, LCVAF has helped elect and re-elect 73 U.S. senators and 331 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.  In the 2016-2017 election cycle, LCVAF endorsed over 100 candidates and, since 2009, has raised and contributed more than $17.6 million dollars via GiveGreen. Over the last several years, our efforts have also helped elevate climate change and clean energy as critical issues in key elections.

###

Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and authorized by Beto for Texas.