Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, End Citizens United (ECU) Action Fund and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) hosted “Mission Critical: Reforming Our Democracy to Save Our Planet” at the National Press Club. With a keynote address from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the event focused on the need for comprehensive government and money in politics reform to combat the climate crisis.
“Our democracy and our environment are in crisis and the majority of U.S. voters want Congress to act,” said Tiffany Mueller, President of End Citizens United Action Fund. “If we want to protect our air and water and reduce the impact of climate change, we have to sever the ties between special interest money and candidates. The Senate must take up the For the People Act and every 2020 presidential candidate should campaign on their democracy reform plan.”
“We must reform our democracy so that climate deniers and the fossil fuel industry cannot continue to abuse the system and delay climate action in the face of the greatest crisis of our generation,” said Tiernan Sittenfeld, LCV SVP for Government Affairs. “The communities most impacted by the climate crisis are currently excluded from power — in order to take equitable, fair and just action to address climate change it is imperative that the same corporate actors that got us into this mess aren’t deciding our energy future.”
“The fossil fuel industry’s dark money has polluted our politics as badly as its carbon emissions have polluted our atmosphere,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. “In an evil and vicious cycle, the industry spends billions to prevent climate action, and protect the dark money weaponry it uses to prevent climate action. Together, we can and will restore our democracy and vanquish these dark forces.”
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is a national environmental organization supported by more than two million members who believe our earth is worth fighting for because everyone has a right to clean air, water, lands, and a safe, healthy community. End Citizens United Action Fund is harnessing the power of four million members to elect reform champions to Congress and pass sweeping reform legislation like the For the People Act. Together, the organizations are calling for democracy reform to combat the climate crisis.
Watch the full video of the event here.
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