I had heard about this the other day, but owe the h/t to Elbert for coming across the press release below and sending it along to me:
Maryland League of Conservation Voters and League of Conservation Voters Endorse Rep. Wayne Gilchrest
Groups Applaud Gilchrest’s Outstanding Leadership on Protecting the Chesapeake Bay & Clean Energy Issues
The Maryland League of Conservation Voters (MDLCV) and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) today announced their joint endorsement of Representative Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) for re-election in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District.
“Representative Wayne Gilchrest is a champion for Maryland’s environment — from protecting our Chesapeake Bay and waterways to preserving our open spaces — and the Maryland League of Conservation Voters is proud to endorse him for re-election,” Maryland LCV Executive Director Cindy Schwartz said. “Wayne Gilchrest offers a strong voice in Congress for protecting the Chesapeake Bay because he understands that it is both a vital part our natural heritage and an engine of the local economy.”
“The League of Conservation Voters is endorsing Representative Wayne Gilchrest for Congress because he has led the way on common sense solutions to our energy challenges that will make us less dependent on oil, reduce energy costs, and help address climate change,” LCV President Gene Karpinski said. “Wayne Gilchrest understands that by ushering in a clean energy future, we can free our nation from the grip of foreign oil, while also creating good-paying jobs and ensuring a cleaner, healthier environment for our children and grandchildren.”
As an enthusiastic outdoorsman who regularly canoes and hikes, Rep. Gilchrest has been a strong voice in Congress for protecting the Chesapeake Bay and the Eastern Shore. He is a Co-Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, where he has introduced legislation and led efforts to help restore the Chesapeake.
“Marylanders understand that preserving our heritage and natural resources for future generations is of critical importance, and that the health of our local economy depends in large part on the health of our environment and the Chesapeake Bay,” Representative Wayne Gilchrest said. “I am honored to receive this recognition for the work we have done, and for the awareness that this remains a responsibility for us all.”
Rep. Gilchrest has also been a leader in helping our country transition to a clean energy economy. He has championed legislative efforts to help reduce our dependence on oil, help the environment and save consumers money, such as increasing fuel efficiency measures to make new cars go further on a gallon of gas. As Co-Chair and Co-Founder of the Congressional Climate Change Caucus, Rep. Gilchrest’s has also demonstrated considerable leadership on helping address global warming.
This is the second consecutive election that Gilchrest has been endorsed by the LCV. In 2006 the group took positions in 89 contested statewide and Congressional races, supporting Democrats in 72 of them, Republicans (including Gilchrest and Delaware Rep. Michael Castle) in 15, and two independents (Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernard Sanders of Vermont.) So one may be able to judge Gilchrest by the company he keeps.
I suppose my first thought on this endorsement comes in the form of a few questions:
If we’re not dependent on oil for transportation, what would we use? Should be continue to drive up food prices and become dependent on ethanol? Or do we use electricity that comes from burning either coal or natural gas? You do know that we have plenty of domestic oil reserves yet to be tapped, right?
The other comment that jumps out at me is that Gilchrest is a co-chair of the Congressional Climate Change Caucus. While that website hasn’t been updated in awhile, this interview with Gilchrest also sheds light on his somewhat radical environmental views. Call me skeptical about humans causing global climate change because no one’s ever answered to my satisfaction how humans influenced meteorlogical events like the Little Ice Age or the Medieval Warm Period – also long-term temperature shifts – well before the era of SUV’s and electricity. Certainly personal decisions about conservation like lowering the thermostat or buying a smaller car are fine, particularly in this era of near-$100 per barrel oil, but what radicals of Gilchrest’s ilk desire is governmental fiat on personal behavior.
Further, while I have not seen the commercial, apparently the LCV has already gone negative with a TV ad attacking Andy Harris. It’s their right to do so, but does it mean that Gilchrest supporters are running scared?
Crossposted on Red Maryland.
Late edit: A friend of mine steered me to the commercial on Youtube.
So, Harris voted against slots (and having a referendum on slots) — go figure — I guess he’s fine with higher taxes.
????
Harris said yesterday in the paper that he supported a referendum on slots. I can’t imagine that he would say one thing on Thursday and then do the exact opposite the next day.
It’s easy to get an endorsment especially if your campaign manager & chief of staff is one of group’s chairmen. Now lets see… I wonder who actually wrote the LCV’s ad script???
Andy did support slots under Ehrlich, but he does not under O’Malley, because the O’Malley plan is fiscally irresponsible. The Governor views slots as a panacea for all that ails the state, and that clearly is not the solution… Also, he wants them on the Shore, specifically at Ocean Downs…something that Harris helped kill and was taken out of the Ehrlich version. Maybe people should do their homework before making assumptions about what they read in the “daily slime”