New EDF Action Television Ad Campaign Targets Rep. Claudia Tenney’s Special Interest Agenda
Ad will run throughout NY-22 educating voters on Tenney’s record of standing with big polluters, other special interests
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NEWS RELEASE
(September 4, 2018 - Washington, D.C.) EDF Action today launched a new television ad targeting Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s troubling record of catering to special interests, including big polluters. The ad notes that Rep. Tenney has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from Washington special interest funds, including big coal and oil polluters, while voting to support their agenda—including legislation that would impede federal efforts to protect the clean air and drinking water.
“Claudia Tenney’s record on the environment and public health is absolutely abysmal,” said Joe Bonfiglio, president of EDF Action. “She is sadly out-of-step with the families she represents who have long supported candidates, on both sides of the aisle, who prioritized the health of our families rather than the interests of big polluters. Our ad calls Tenney to account for her troubling record.”
One of Tenney’s first votes after taking office was for a bill (the so-called “HONEST Act,” HR 1430) pushed by big polluting interests, like the Koch companies—whose lobbyists have donated to Tenney’s campaign. The bill has been widely criticized by scientists and public health experts. Even the Trump Administration’s Pentagon raised serious concerns about the related administrative policy.
The rest of Tenney’s environmental record is equally troubling, including opposing common sense protections for clean air, denying the science on climate change, and voting against policies to control pollution. Rep. Tenney’s record stands in sharp contrast to her more independent-minded Republican predecessors in NY-22, including Reps. Richard Hanna (R-NY) and Sherry Boehlert (R-NY). Tenney’s opponent, Anthony Brindisi, has compiled a strong, pro-environment record and has prioritized public health protections, such as investing in clean water infrastructure.
The $235,000 ad buy will run in Syracuse, Utica and Binghamton for two weeks. EDF Action has supported pro-environment candidates in battleground states and districts around the country, on both sides of the aisle.
In New York, EDF Action opposed Claudia Tenney in 2016 and, prior to that, ran ads in 2014 supporting pro-environment Republican Chris Gibson in New York’s 19th Congressional District.
