N.C. Enviros Announce Endorsements

Environmental advocacy groups are making it easier for North Carolina voters to do right by the earth this election season, endorsing candidates for important national and state races.

Not surprisingly, the N.C. Sierra Club is backing Democratic challenger John Kerry for president. The administration of George W. Bush has racked up arguably one of the worst environmental records in recent history. It has allowed unnamed corporate executives to shape national energy policy, rolled back controls on toxic pollution, eliminated safeguards for rivers and wetlands, gutted wildlife protections, opened national forests to corporate plunder and failed to take strong action on global warming.

In stark contrast, Sen. Kerry and his vice presidential running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, have been strong supporters of environmental protections while serving in Washington, and they have put forth a plan for protecting the environment that includes cleaning up toxic pollution, addressing sprawl, reversing Bush rollbacks to the Clean Air Act, restoring polluted waters and cutting emissions that contribute to climate change.

For U.S. Congress, Sierra has endorsed Democrat Erskine Bowles over Republican Richard Burr for the Senate seat Edwards is vacating, and in local races for U.S. House backs incumbent Reps. Brad Miller (D) in the Triangle’s District 13 and David Price (D) in District 4.

In statewide races, both the Sierra Club and Conservation Council of North Carolina PAC are throwing their weight behind incumbent Democratic Gov. Mike Easley and Attorney General Roy Cooper, also a Democrat. In addition, C-PAC has endorsed Democrat Britt Cobb for agriculture commissioner.

For state Senate, both organizations are backing Democrat Janet Cowell in Wake County’s District 16 seat. A former Sierra Club activist and fundraiser for the progressive Common Sense Foundation, Cowell currently holds an at-large seat on the Raleigh City Council and during the last legislative session staffed the General Assembly's environmental caucus.

In Raleigh-area state House races, the environmental groups are backing Democratic challenger Grier Martin over incumbent Republican Don Munford in District 34. C-PAC is also backing Democratic challenger Linda Coleman over incumbent Republican Sam Ellis in House District 39. CCNC Political Director Brownie Newman describes Munford’s and Ellis’ environmental voting records as “irresponsible” and says Cowell, Martin and Coleman would be champions for environmental concerns.

Other local legislative candidates who've gotten the nod from enviros are incumbent Democrats Vernon Malone in Senate District 14, Jennifer Weiss in House District 35 and Deborah Ross in House District 38.

If environmental-minded citizens would like to do more this year than simply cast a ballot, Newman's group needs volunteers to pass out information about candidates. He is also asking interested people to write letters to their local newspapers highlighting environmental concerns. For details, call Newman at 828-243-0107 or e-mail him at newman@conservationcouncilnc.org.

To read C-PAC’s complete list of endorsements online, click here. For the N.C. Sierra Club’s endorsements, click here. And for general information on voting in North Carolina and a complete list of candidates, visit the state Board of Elections’ Web site.