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

WASHINGTON ~³ervation Voters (LCV), the political voice of the national environmental and conservation community, today named Representative Darlene Hooley (D) as a 2004 Environmental Champion in her race for reelection to the 5th district of Oregon. Hooley has earned a lifetime score of 89% on the LCV scorecard. 

Environmental Champions are candidates who have proven their pro-environment commitment through their actions.   We support these outstanding leaders by rewarding leadership through contributions, raising funds, and from time to time running independent campaigns to help ensure they are reelected to Congress to build America³ pro-environment majority.

)s proud to name Rep. Darlene Hooley an Environmental Champion because she has staunchly defended America³ national parks and forests and led efforts to create new wilderness areas and phase out harmful uses of public lands.�, LCV Vice President for Policy. � to safeguarding the lands and the values that the people of Oregon hold dear.�le="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 80%">Now in her fourth term, Rep. Hooley has championed the use of alternative energy sources and tighter pollution controls on inefficient, outdated power plants.  She has been particularly outspoken in her opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and she co-sponsored the Morris K. Udall Arctic Wilderness Act which designates specified lands within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System

Hooley voted for an amendment to the Healthy Forest Restoration Act that would prevent undermining NEPA jurisdiction and against the Energy Policy Act, which was laden with more than $37 billion in corporate tax breaks and subsidies for the coal, oil, nuclear and natural gas industries.  Not only was Hooley³ vote valuable to prevent or deter the implementation of anti-environmental legislation, but she was a leader in initiating new pro-environment bills. 

Hooley has co-sponsored a bill to phase out snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks to protect wildlife and preserve the natural beauty and integrity of the park during winter. She also co-sponsored a bill to protect Utah³ remaining nine million acres of wild desert lands.

For information on all of LCV³ 2004 Environmental Champions, visit our website at /campaigns/environmental-champions/environmental-champions.html.

- 30 �����amily: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; font-style: italic; text-align: left">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.