To: Interested Parties

From: Craig Auster, LCV Action Fund Vice President of Political Affairs

Date: September 16, 2022

Re: LCV Action Fund Memo: Tiffany Smiley is Wrong for Washington’s Climate and Families

KIRO 7 News published a story in which Washington Republican U.S. Senate nominee Tiffany Smiley said:

“We need to fight climate change, I believe that is best solved at the local level with folks who are closest to the issue on that.” 

In previous statements, Smiley has consistently opposed the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest-ever investment in our nation’s transition to clean energy.

Smiley is running against U.S. Senator Patty Murray, who was endorsed by LCV Action Fund in June 2021.

In response to Smiley’s comments, LCV Action Fund issued the following statement from Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo:

“Tiffany Smiley has shown once again she is out-of-touch with the issues that Washingtonians care about and is unqualified to represent the Evergreen State in the U.S. Senate. We all know that climate change is the greatest existential crisis facing our country and our world, and we need elected leaders who will fight like hell to bring the full weight of both the public and private sectors to address it. We must act, and we must act now, at the local, national and international levels to achieve climate justice for all communities. Thankfully, Washington State already has a climate and environmental justice champion who understands this in Senator Patty Murray and LCV Action Fund is all-in to help her win this November.”

Lennon Bronsema, Vice President of Campaigns for Washington Conservation Voters also responded:

“Washington Conservation Voters is proud of the work done by the State of Washington and local governments to be a leader in addressing the climate crisis. We know our work here at home is not all we need to stop the impacts climate change is having on our communities. That is why we are so grateful to Senator Patty Murray for the work she has done in the U.S. Senate, including recently helping pass the Inflation Reduction and CHIPs Acts, to invest in our clean energy future and climate justice. She is an important partner in our fight for a more just and equitable climate future for Washington State and we are thrilled with the work LCV Action Fund is doing to help ensure she is re-elected.”

Key facts:

• Climate change is a global and economy-wide crisis, requiring action at all levels of government here at home and abroad.
  • According to the IPCC Assessment Report, “Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1.5°C is beyond reach.” And the IPCC has been clear that “Climate-related risks for natural and human systems are higher for global warming of 1.5°C than at present, but lower than at 2°C.”
• Washington is already experiencing devastating climate impacts.
  • According to a 2020 report from the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group:
    • Washington’s sea level is rising, with Seattle experiencing 9.7 inches of sea level rise between 1899 and 2018. As sea levels continue to rise this means more devastating impacts like more flooding, loss of land, saltwater intrusion, impacts on agriculture, on infrastructure and on ecosystems.
    • Coastal waters are warming and acidifying, with sea surface temperatures rising 0.9-1.8 degrees Fahrenheit between 1990 and 2012. This is estimated to impact nearly a third of coastal species, with serious economic and cultural impacts on fisheries and coastal communities. This also can make harmful algal blooms which have serious health and economic consequences more common.
  • During the first half of 2022, 54% of Washington State was experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions with 25% in severe or extreme drought, followed by the second-wettest May through June in the state since 1895.
  • Due to climate change, Washington’s iconic forests are already experiencing longer fire seasons, larger burns and increased wildfire risks, which threaten human life, property, wildlife and ecosystems, and create hazardous air quality for downwind communities.
  • And this is all predicted to get worse in the coming years.
• Washingtonians want climate action. According to the Yale University Program on Climate Change Communication, 68% of Washingtonians are worried about global warming and 64% believe Congress should do more to address global warming.
• Senator Murray has been a champion for climate action, recently voting for the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in our nation’s history to transition to clean energy, fighting to ensure our financial system is better prepared to fight climate change, for clean school buses and to protect Washington’s rivers and natural environment, and earning a 92% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard.

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Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and authorized by People for Patty Murray.