Highlights his leadership to expand national parks & boost Hawaii’s economy 

**View the ad**

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) today launched a television ad highlighting Senator Brian Schatz’s leadership to expand national parks in Hawaii to boost tourism and create new jobs. The ad, “Hawaii Values,” begins airing August 1st in the Honolulu media market and is part of LCV’s ad campaign supporting Senator Schatz in the Democratic primary August 9th. 

“Senator Schatz’s leadership to expand Hawaii’s national parks is a win for Hawaii’s economy and its special natural heritage,” said Daniel J. Weiss, LCV Senior Vice President for Campaigns. “He’s working tirelessly to boost tourism and create new jobs across Hawaii.”  

The ad highlights Senator Schatz’s bill, the Pacific Islands Parks Act, which could lead to a significant expansion of national parks in Hawaii, including sites on the Ka’u Coast, the northern coast of Maui, and the southeastern coast of Kauai. Designating these lands as national parks would increase tourism, which is the backbone of Hawaii’s economy. It’s the single largest contributor to the state’s gross domestic product,  largest source of private capital and the biggest generator of jobs in the state. Visitors spent $259 million at Hawaiian national parks in 2011 alone. Documentation for the ad is available here.  

This is the second ad in LCV’s ad campaign supporting Senator Schatz ahead of the Democratic primary. The first ad, “Special,” highlights his leadership on climate change and efforts to hold corporate polluters accountable and began airing July 25th.

Last year, LCV Action Fund, which works to elect candidates who will implement sound environmental policies, endorsed Senator Schatz for U.S. Senate, highlighting his leadership throughout his career to combat the climate crisis and make investing in clean energy a top priority.

A member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water and Power, Senator Schatz has already distinguished himself as a true environmental champion. His voting record earned him a perfect 100% score on LCV’s 2013 National Environmental Scorecard. 

The non-partisan scorecard is a nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental and clean energy issues. Based on key environmental votes in the House and Senate, it is often used by the media to quickly describe a Member’s position on climate, energy and environmental issues. For more information, visit https://scorecard.lcv.org.

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Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters, www.lcv.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.