Bellows Statement On League of Conservation Voters Endorsement of Republican Susan Collins

Press Release

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Shenna Bellows released the following statement today on the League of Conservation Voters' endorsement of her opponent, Republican Susan Collins. Collins' lifetime 67 percent score from the League of Conservation Voters is just three points higher than Maine State Sen. Troy Jackson, who the League placed on this year's Dirty Dozen list.

"I am running for United States Senate because we need bolder leadership to confront climate change before it's too late," Bellow said. "Climate change is one of most serious threats confronting our nation. Protecting the status quo won't protect the environment for the next generation. I've been a consistent voice for more renewable energy, stronger clean air and water standards and an end to the Keystone XL Pipeline project, and I'll proudly stack my environmental values against Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins and any other Washington Republican."

"You have to ask why in this race a lifetime D grade merits recognition," said Portland City Councilman and former State Rep. Jon Hinck. "It's disappointing to see LCV fall into the incumbent protection trap. Half-a-loaf environmentalism is not half good enough. Our air and water don't care about political parties and legacy ties. Every candidate should be considered on the merits of what he or she would do to keep our environment clean. Energy and global warming challenges make this a critical time for Maine and the entire country. Shenna Bellows, unlike the incumbent, has the vision and drive to meet those challenges."

A Huffington Post article last week pointed out many that Maine environmentalists objected to some groups' continued support of Collins despite her low lifetime rating. Emily Figdor, the director of Environment Maine, was quoted in that story saying Collins "has not had a consistent record on climate change. It's high time she really stands up and starts to lead on the issue." You can read that full story at http://huff.to/1nX8gcN.

In 2011 Collins introduced the EPA Regulatory Relief Act, which a June 24, 2012, op-ed in the Lewiston Sun Journal pointed out was "roundly condemned by environmentalists as an attempt to gut EPA regulations intended to clean up the nation's dirtiest industrial power plants -- many of them fueled by biomass, and several right here in Maine. She then tried to attach her legislation to the unrelated transportation bill [in the spring of 2012], an effort that only narrowly failed."

As far back as 2009, Collins led the fight to eliminate tens of billions of dollars in clean energy funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Among other cuts, her plan would have eliminated:

- $4.5 billion in renewable energy loan guarantees at the Department of Energy
- $1.4 billion in research grants and facilities construction at the National Science Foundation
- $1 billion from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects at the Department of Energy
- $300 million in laboratory upgrades at the Department of Agriculture

A full list of Collins' targets is available here. Her plan left intact $4.6 billion in coal plant research spending.

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