Powerful Environmental Groups Endorse Karen Montgomery’s State Senate Bid

June 21, 2010 - PRLog -- OLNEY, MD –  The 15,000-member Maryland Sierra Club last week gave its strong endorsement to Montgomery. “We appreciate the support you have shown on key environmental initiatives in the past,” said Sierra Club Chair David Hauck in his endorsement letter. The Maryland Sierra Club was a force behind the 1984 landmark legislation to protect the Chesapeake Bay, tighten laws concerning run-off, control sediment and manage sheries and wildlife habitats.

The Sierra Club’s nod to Montgomery comes on the heels of an early endorsement from the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. Montgomery is one of 16 Senate candidates endorsed by the League. “We are dedicated to passing strong environmental legislation, which is why who we elect matters,” said Cindy Schwartz, MLCV Executive Director. “We have a great opportunity to make a substantial difference by increasing the conservation majority in the Maryland General Assembly.”

“I am delighted that both organizations recognize my support of important legislation to preserve Maryland’s fragile natural resources,” said Montgomery. “Clearly dened, effective programs to protect our environment can also create jobs and new industries in Maryland.”

As a member of the Governor’s Commission to Protect the Chesapeake Bay, Montgomery worked on common-sense environmental solutions to maintain critical natural resources including requiring cars to be more fuel-efcient, reducing the amount of nitrogen pollution entering the Bay
and funding for state residents in sensitive areas to install environmentally friendly septic systems.

Montgomery is a longtime proponent of strong measures to improve air quality, clean up drinking water, restore the condition of the Bay to allow recreation and healthy seafood, and preserve farmland. Earlier this year, Environment Maryland awarded Montgomery a 96-percent lifetime voting record on environmental issues, the highest rating in the District 14 delegation.

The Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters endorsements lengthen the list of organizations throwing their support behind Montgomery’s campaign for the District 14 State Senate seat. She also was recently endorsed by the Montgomery County Education Association and Progressive Maryland.
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