Contact: Chuck Porcari (cell: (240) 286-7566) or Mark Sokolove (cell: (703) 599-7656) or (202) 785-8683

WASHINGTON - The League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the political voice of the national environmental and conservation community, today announced its endorsement of Rep. Tim Johnson (R) for reelection in Illinois 15th Congressional district.

"LCV endorsed Rep. Johnson because since he was first elected in 2000, he has strong supporter of public lands and forest protection in the House," said Betsy Loyless, LCV Vice President for Policy. "He opposed the so-called %althy Forest Initiative recognizing it as a pretext for big timber companies to log more trees in national forests."

Rep. Johnson has also been a leader in protecting wildlife in our national parks, voting against using federal funds to kill bison that leave Yellowstone National Park boundaries. He also cosponsored legislation to protect Yellowstone from polluting off-road vehicles. In 2003, Rep. Johnson earned a solid 75% score on LCV³ National Environmental Scorecard.

For information on all of LCV³ endorsed candidates, visit our endorsement section.

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The nonprofit League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is the political voice of the national environmental and conservation community. LCV, which is not a partisan organization, is the only national organization working full-time to hold Congress and the president accountable for their environmental actions. For more information, please visit us on the web at www.lcv.org.