Press Releases

Major Environmental Groups Back Duckworth for Senate

Mar 14, 2016


Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) has won the endorsements of three of the country’s most powerful environmental organizations in her campaign to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate. The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, the NRDC Action Fund and the Sierra Club are backing Duckworth because she is the right choice to advance U.S. leadership on climate change and protect the country’s bedrock clean air and clean water laws. Duckworth is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL).

“The people of Illinois deserve two senators who will consistently support climate action and defend public health, and we are thrilled to endorse Representative Tammy Duckworth to join Senator Durbin as the next senator from Illinois to do just that,” said LCV Deputy Legislative Director Alex Taurel. “We know that Congresswoman Duckworth will continue her steadfast commitment to protecting our air, water, lands and wildlife and her support for crucial steps to address climate change, such as the Clean Power Plan.  She fought so bravely for our country, and now we are proud to fight alongside her in her campaign for U.S. Senate.”

“Building the ranks of pro-environment senators is an important goal for the NRDC Action Fund this year, which is why we’re proud to endorse Representative Tammy Duckworth. She has been a strong proponent of American leadership in the global fight against climate change, an advocate for clean energy as essential to our national security and economic future, and a genuinely reliable environmental champion,” said Henry Henderson, a senior adviser to the NRDC Action Fund. “Tammy Duckworth understands Illinois’ future depends on developing the clean energy economy, limiting carbon pollution, and protecting clean water and the Great Lakes.”

“The Sierra Club is proud to endorse Representative Tammy Duckworth for U.S. Senate,” said Sierra Club Illinois’ Political Director Kady McFadden, “As a veteran, she knows that climate change is a significant threat to national security; as a mother, she understands that reducing pollution is crucial for the health of our communities and for our future; and as our Senator, Tammy Duckworth will continue to champion the policies we need to combat the climate crisis and seize the clean energy future.”

“I’m humbled to receive the support of these three highly respected and effective organizations, each of which shares my commitment to a clean-energy future that preserves and protects our most precious natural resources — the air we breathe and the water we drink — as well one that creates good jobs by modernizing our economy. As a new parent, I feel a particular responsibility to act in the face of overwhelming scientific consensus about global climate change, and you have my commitment that in the Senate I will continue to work with these groups and everyone else who accepts scientific reality and is committed to solving this existential threat,” said Duckworth.

Representative Duckworth has been a strong and consistent leader on issues of clean energy and addressing climate change. Based on her experience in Iraq, she has spoken out about the severe costs of our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and advocated rapid investment in alternative energy sources, especially by the military. She has been outspoken on the need to renew the wind Production Tax Credit (PTC), including organizing a letter from the Illinois delegation in 2014 to then-Speaker Boehner in support of extending this critical tax incentive. She also has a long history defending our nation’s public health. As a doctoral student at Northern Illinois University, Duckworth authored a study linking radon gas exposure and susceptibility to cancer, and then worked to inform local families of the risks. More recently, she’s publicly and steadfastly supported the EPA’s common sense carbon pollution limits for power plants. In 2015 Tammy Duckworth earned an impressive 89% score on the League of Conservation Voters’ National Environmental Scorecard, the nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental and clean energy issues.

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About the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund (LCVAF):

LCVAF works to elect pro-environment candidates and defeat climate deniers. In addition, LCVAF’s GiveGreen website is the only bundling website devoted exclusively to raising money for environmental champions for federal office. Last cycle, LCVAF endorsed over 70 candidates and raised and donated almost $6 million dollars via GiveGreen.

About the NRDC Action Fund:

The NRDC Action Fund’s mission is to build political support in the United States for protecting the planet and its people. We mobilize influential constituencies, experts, community leaders and others to directly advocate for clean air and water, public health, biodiversity, and a stable climate. We support candidates who stand up for environmental protection, and we expose those who side with polluters rather than the public good. Visit www.nrdcactionfund.org for more information.

About the Sierra Club:

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.4 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.

Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, www.lcvactionfund.org and authorized by Tammy for Illinois.