Sierra Club Investing Heavily in State Races

SAN FRANCISCO — The Sierra Club plans to shift millions in campaign cash from Congressional races to state and local campaigns this fall, a sign from the nation's oldest and largest environmental group that Washington is becoming less relevant to its cause.

In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said his group is dedicating about a third of its anticipated $5 million to $10 million campaign fund to competitive state races this year.

In past years, it has invested only 5 percent of its political money in state legislative campaigns.

"We are putting 10 times as much energy into state races," Pope said. "We've never made that national investment in state races before."

With partisan Washington deadlocked over most environmental issues, state governments nationwide have been taking a lead role on initiatives ranging from global warming to fuel economy standards.

Despite Democrats' hopes to gain seats in the House and Senate, many political observers think the climate in Washington is unlikely to change.

"Whatever happens this fall, Washington is still going to be paralyzed," Pope said. "This pattern of state and local leadership is going to continue environmentally."

In California, Pope credited Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger with supporting legislation that would set caps on greenhouse gases. While complimentary of Schwarzenegger, Pope said the San Francisco-based Sierra Club is endorsing Democratic challenger Phil Angelides.

Schwarzenegger declined to take part in the group's endorsement process, Pope said.

And in Washington, Pope said, the group's goal is to "deny Republicans effective control of the House floor and the Senate floor, and we're very close."

"If we can pick up five to 10 House seats then effectively they can't move anything on the House floor that we don't like," he said.

Source: Associated Press

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