September 11, 2012 (San Diego) — The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund and the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) together announced their endorsement of Scott Peters for the U.S. House of Representatives in California’s 52nd district. In backing his congressional bid, LCV Action Fund and CLCV cited Peters’ long and accomplished record of public service in the San Diego community, leading initiatives to strengthen public health standards, protect the environment, and grow the economy by creating thousands of new local jobs. Peters, a Democrat, will face long-time incumbent Rep. Brian Bilbray in the general election.
“LCV Action Fund is proud to endorse Scott Peters for Congress because he has a remarkable track record as an environmental champion, he is a strong advocate for public health, and he is a proven community leader who knows how to create sustainable jobs that grow the economy,” said LCV Action Fund President Gene Karpinski. “Throughout his time as an environmental attorney, a City Councilman, and head of the San Diego Unified Port District, Scott Peters has embodied the values of sustainability and environmental protection that San Diegans cherish.”
The newly drawn 52nd Congressional District is rich in natural resources, including canyons, lagoons, open space and more than half of San Diego County’s coastline.
“As a Councilman, Scott Peters cut sewer spills to clean up the San Diego Bay and protected hundreds of acres of open space,” said Sarah Rose, CEO of CLCV. “And he accomplished these while staying focused on job creation. Particularly in resource-rich San Diego, we need leaders like Scott who can achieve this balance in order to improve our quality of life.”
Among other achievements as a Councilman, Peters banned smoking in public parks and beaches, and redeveloped local roads to protect sensitive and rare lagoon habitats. His strong record of leadership continued as head of the Port of San Diego – a major economic engine that produces tens of thousands of high-skill, high-wage jobs for San Diegans. Under Peters’ leadership, the Port shifted its emphasis to sustainability by reducing the waste in water and energy consumption, thereby helping the environment and lowering costs. Prior to entering public service, Peters was an environmental attorney, successfully leading a Clean Water Act lawsuit against polluters that ultimately led to new water quality standards around these facilities.
In stark contrast, Rep. Bilbray has voted repeatedly to undermine the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts; against carbon pollution standards; and against wilderness and wildlife protections, the LCV noted. He has also voted time and again to give billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies every year to oil companies that, in turn, contribute generously to his campaigns. Bilbray earned a dismal 17% score on LCV’s 2011 National Environmental Scorecard.
The non-partisan LCV National Environmental 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. For more information, visit http://www.lcv.org/scorecard.
Scott Peters is featured on LCV Action Fund’s GiveGreen website, http://www.givegreen.com, the only bundling website devoted exclusively to raising money for environmental champions and candidates.
Original Link: http://eastcountymagazine.org/node/11002