Food & Water Action Endorses 11 Candidates for Iowa State Legislature

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For Immediate Release

Today, the national environmental group Food & Water Action endorsed 11 candidates for Iowa state legislature:

Molly Buck (HD-41)

Molly Donahue (SD-37)

Monica Kurth (HD-98)

Kay Pence (HD-70)

Michelle Servadio Elias (HD-96)

Art Staed (HD-80)

Sharon Steckman (HD-59)

Phyllis Thede (HD-94)

Sarah Trone Garriott (SD-14)

Deb VanderGaast (SD-41)

Jessica Wiskus (SD-42)

The slate of candidates are committed to bold energy and agriculture policies that ensure a livable future for all.

All endorsed candidates oppose eminent domain for carbon pipelines. As the threat of private land condemnation for three proposed hazardous carbon pipelines grips the state, candidate opposition to eminent domain for private gain is a rallying cry among voters. Food & Water Action polling conducted in April by Change Research found that 73% of voters are less likely to vote for a candidate who supported using eminent domain to build carbon pipelines.

All endorsed candidates support a moratorium on new and expanding factory farms. A Food & Water Watch report found that factory farms’ meteoric rise in Iowa has come at the direct expense of farmers and local economies. From 1982-2017, Iowa lost nearly 90% of its hog farms, as factory farms expanded. As a result, today’s farmers earn $2 less per pound of pork than they did 40 years ago. All endorsed candidates support a transition to a just, sustainable model of agriculture that gives power to Iowans, not multi-billion dollar corporations.

With the endorsements, Food & Water Action Senior Iowa Organizer John Aspray issued the following statement:

“So much is at stake in Iowa’s midterms. Shady developers are scheming to seize private land for their hazardous carbon pipelines, and corporate factory farms are wreaking havoc on our air, water and communities. At the ballot box this fall, Iowans must come together to cast our votes against the corporate profiteering pillaging our state.

“Food & Water Action is proud to endorse a slate of progressive champions committed to fighting for a livable future for all Iowans, united against eminent domain for carbon pipelines and factory farms. Buck, Donahue, Kurth, Pence, Servadio Elias, Staed, Steckman, Thede, Trone Garriott, VanderGaast, and Wiskus are the bold leaders Iowans deserve in Des Moines.”

Contact: Phoebe Galt, [email protected]

In His Words: Representative Jamaal Bowman

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Interview by Miho Suzuki-Robinson

Since his election in 2020, Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York’s 16th district has been a vibrant voice for progressives. As his August 23rd primary date approaches, we asked for his thoughts on crucial issues. First we learned about his new bill designed to ease the pain of inflation. We also discussed fighting climate change while people are consumed with so many other worries. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

The Cost Of Living Is Too High: Rep. Bowman’s Emergency Price Stabilization Act

You recently introduced the Emergency Price Stabilization Act of 2022. What led you to decide that this bill is necessary? What do you hope to achieve with this bill?

For lots of families in New York’s 16th congressional district, the cost of living is just far too high. While the prices of rent, utility bills, food, and other everyday necessities are rising, wages aren’t keeping up. 

The U.S Federal Reserve is attempting to tackle inflation by raising interest rates, but this is an inequitable, insufficient approach as higher interest rates will force businesses to cut jobs, increasing the risk of recession. Inflation will always disproportionately impact low-income households and we need an evidence-based, community-focused approach to economic stabilization. 

Through [the Emergency Price Stabilization Act], I hope to make vital resources more available to American families, ensure that our financial policies align with our sustainable development goals, and better engage constituents on economic policy. 

Read more about this bill.

As you’ve been speaking with people in your community, what are the issues they are most concerned about?

From close conversations with constituents, it feels [like] the most important issues are educational equity, community violence protection, and flooding prevention. 

Along with community-level issues, voters also want to feel heard and respected by representatives. To this end, I do my best to have meaningful conversations with as many people as possible to better advocate for the distinct needs of my district.

How To Balance Climate Action With Other Pressing Concerns

In a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, only 1% of voters named climate change as the most important issue facing the country. How do you feel about the fact that climate change is not a top issue for them?

The unfortunate reality is that we are facing so many critical and pressing issues at this moment. Families are struggling to put food on the table, people are struggling to afford health care, abortion rights are under attack, and the GOP is trying to undermine our democracy. 

It is understandable that so many voters rank another issue at the top of their list, but it doesn’t mean elected officials should not focus on it. We have a moral obligation to do more. 

We can—and must—walk and chew gum at the same time. We need to bring down costs for families and stand up to GOP attacks on abortion rights and on our democracy, while also taking bold action to combat climate change. 

How has climate change affected your community?

Extreme weather events are occurring more and more frequently in our district, and the associated flooding presents an ongoing threat to the people of NY-16. 

After Hurricane Ida in September 2021, severe flooding led to massive housing damage, temporary closures of schools and local businesses, and disruptions in traffic patterns. In response, I brought the US Army Corps of Engineers to tour our district so we can work together to figure out how to best protect our district from flooding. 

For years, we also saw polluted water threaten the health and safety of residents, particularly in communities with underdeveloped sewage systems. In partnership with Senator Chuck Schumer, I helped secure $3 million to hire engineers to evaluate the current system and create a thorough plan for sewage replacement in Mount Vernon, Westchester. 

But still, unless we take bold, comprehensive, and necessary action against climate change and water contamination, our infrastructure will continue to fall short, particularly in under-resourced areas.

Creating The Political Will For Renewable Energy By Movement-Building

You have called for a rapid transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030. Given the lack of will and the presence of elected climate change deniers in Washington, this sounds idealistic. What makes you hopeful that this is an attainable goal? 

While a rapid, safe transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030 may feel ambitious, we can make it a reality by increasing the number of climate advocates in office and making sustainability a personal priority for all community members. 

It is paramount that we maximize the presence of climate-focused representatives. We can do this by organizing and mobilizing voters from historically underrepresented communities, who tend to be impacted most intimately by climate change. 

The movement for climate justice is already strong, we just need to keep building it. And when I’m out in my district, talking to voters, it is clear that people care deeply about our climate and working together to find solutions. 

We Need Supporters Like You To Make Winning On Climate Possible

Electing champions like Congressman Bowman will protect the progress we’ve made for a livable climate for us and future generations. We have many ways you can join us in supporting him and other allies running in the midterm elections. You can RSVP for events in your area, volunteer for our letter-writing team, texting team, or donate. Or we’d love to have you host a Get Out The Vote letter-writing party!

You can hear more from Rep. Bowman at Against All Odds, our annual benefit to protect our planet.

Fight for food we can trust, water we can drink, and air we can breathe. Not to mention, a democracy we can believe in!

Every dollar donated helps to preserve our future.

National Climate Group Endorses Alessandra Biaggi for Congress

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For Immediate Release

The national environmental advocacy group Food & Water Action is endorsing State Senator Alessandra Biaggi in her run for New York’s 17th Congressional District.

Food & Water Action Senior New York Organizer Santosh Nandabalan issued the following statement:

“As a State Senator, Alessandra has fought for bold climate policies and continually stood against fossil fuel infrastructure like the Danskammer, Gowanus and Astoria NRG fracked gas plants. Her opponent, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, has repeatedly stood with these types of polluting facilities.

“With the looming climate crisis, New York and the nation cannot afford her opponent. Maloney has a documented history of opposing climate action, including bullying other members of New York’s Congressional delegation to revoke their opposition to the Danskammer power plant proposed in his district. He remains a roadblock in Congress, refusing to support critical federal legislation like the End Polluter Welfare Act.

“Alessandra has the track record and conviction to be the climate champion in Congress that New York and the nation need to move off fossil fuels.”

Food & Water Action, the political and lobbying arm of the national advocacy group Food & Water Watch, mobilizes people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people’s health, communities and democracy from the destructive power of powerful economic interests.

Contact: Phoebe Galt, [email protected]

In Her Words: Summer Lee, Climate Champion For U.S. Congress

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by Miho Suzuki-Robinson

Food & Water Action is proud to stand with Pennsylvania State Rep. Summer Lee heading into the November midterm election. She’s an anti-fracking activist and climate champion who will fight for real climate solutions. Pennsylvania, among other states, is central to the fossil fuel industry’s plans to deepen its hold on America’s energy production. That’s why electing climate superstars like Summer is critical to safeguard our future. 

We recently asked Summer to share her thoughts on our work together and her journey toward the U.S. Congress. 

Summer Lee: ‘Food & Water Action Shares My Vision’

“I have worked with Food & Water Action ever since 2018, when I was running for State Representative and helping my community stop a fracking well proposed in a densely-populated neighborhood.

Food & Water Action helped me win that election, and kept fighting for the community to eventually stop that fracking well. We won because we continued organizing during election time and year-round. In partnership with Food & Water Action, we worked together to elect climate champions to county and municipal government, and they helped me get reelected in 2020 despite aggressive industry spending.

Photo credit: CC-BY-2.0 / Mark Dixon, Flickr.com

My successful run for Congress in 2022 was a whole new challenge, with millions of dollars of corporate cash being spent to knock our movement down. Food & Water Action was there fighting alongside us for working people and a livable climate, and we won our biggest victory yet. Their volunteers sent thousands of handwritten letters in a narrow election that required every part of our movement pushing as hard as we could. I look forward to working with them as a member of Congress to push for real climate solutions that create millions of green jobs, and to continue to clean up the air and water here in southwest Pennsylvania where there is so much work left to be done.

They fight for what is right, what is just, which is why I am proud and grateful for their endorsement. Food & Water Action shares my vision for a climate-stable future for all of us, where people determine how we govern the care of our planet – not CEOs who get wealthy, at the expense of our health.”

We Need Supporters Like You To Help Make Winning On Climate Possible

Summer Lee has proven to be a captivating and inspirational candidate. Her candidacy increased voter turnout in her district’s primary by an impressive margin. We expect her presence on the ballot to boost turnout again, benefiting the Democratic candidates for governor and U.S. Senate. 

Electing more champions like Lee will protect the progress we’ve made for a livable climate for us and future generations. We have many ways you can join us in supporting Summer and other allies running in the midterm elections. You can RSVP for events in your area, volunteer to be a part of our texting team, or donate. Or we’d love to have you host a Get Out The Vote letter-writing party!

Fight for food we can trust, water we can drink, and air we can breathe. Not to mention, a democracy we can believe in!

Every dollar donated helps to preserve our future.

Food & Water Action Endorses Kristen Gonzalez for New York State Senate District 59

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For Immediate Release

Food & Water Action, the political and lobbying arm of the national advocacy organization Food & Water Watch, is endorsing community organizer Kristen Gonzalez for New York State Senate District 59.

Running in a newly drawn district inclusive of some of the city’s most polluted neighborhoods including Astoria, Queens, Gonzalez is a committed climate champion. She brings a decade-long track record of organizing in the communities she hopes to represent coupled with a detailed climate platform to move New York off fossil fuels.

Food & Water Action Senior New York Organizer Laura Shindell issued the following statement:

“When we won the fight to stop the dirty Astoria NRG fracked gas plant last year, Kristen Gonzalez was at our side. And as we demand action of Albany leadership to pass the Build Public Renewables Act, Kristen Gonzalez is at the helm. Gonzalez is a strong leader with bold vision and the fight to bring about needed change in Albany. We are proud to endorse climate champion Kristen Gonzalez for State Senate District 59.”

Contact: Sam Bernhardt, [email protected]

Fighting For Communities & Climate in PA’s Battleground Midterms

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by Sam Bernhardt and Mia DiFelice

Nestled between three rivers lies Pittsburgh, the steel capital at the heart of Southwest Pennsylvania. Once, the mills belched pollution into the air, blackening the shirts of steelworkers and steel magnates alike. Though the air has begun to clear, the region faces the legacy of that pollution and the growing threat of fracking development. Now, in this year’s midterm elections, it will be a battleground in our fight for a greener future. 

From Company Towns To A Green New Deal For Southwest PA

Southwest PA has a long history of extractive, polluting industry and environmental racism. The region is dotted with old steel towns that were once standard-bearers for U.S. production. When the steel industry left in the 1980s, it bled jobs and abandoned polluting infrastructure. The region still suffers from abysmal air quality and an outsized asthma problem.

In more recent years, the fracking industry has set its crosshairs on Southwest PA. Across the state, the industry has targeted Black and brown communities for siting their dangerous operations. In 2017, it was announced that Beaver County would become the home of a massive ethane cracker plant that will turn fracked gas into plastics, spewing more pollutants into the air and water.

These threats, old and new, make Southwest PA one of the most important places in the country for building a movement behind the Green New Deal. The Deal will bring clean energy jobs for the folks steel left behind. It will hold industry accountable for the public health crises it’s caused. And it will bring long-overdue environmental justice to all who call Southwest PA home.

Over the years, Food & Water Action has worked with local communities to stop fracking, town by town. In 2022, we’re taking that people power to the ballot box for the midterm elections. We won’t stop until we have the Green New Deal that Southwest PA demands.

Southwest PA Could Change The Climate Game On Multiple Fronts

There’s a lot at stake in the midterms. Time is running out to act on climate change, while Republicans and conservative Democrats have stalled the legislation we need. After a Supreme Court session that, among other blows, kneecapped the EPA’s powers to regulate power plant emissions, we can’t afford to lose in the midterms. Every single vote counts, and Southwestern PA is home to millions of those votes. 

In a single election, voters will see critical races for governor, state House and U.S. Senate on their ballots. These races could open new doors for climate legislation. We have the opportunity to elect a 51st Democratic Senator to make Joe Manchin irrelevant. We can also elect a majority-Democrat state House that could block attempts to hand over electoral college votes to the Republican candidate in 2024’s presidential election. 

Finally, we can elect a new governor who will actually hold the fracking industry accountable. The Democratic nominee for governor, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, has brought several lawsuits against the industry. Meanwhile, his opponent, Republican State Senator Doug Mastriano, personally attended the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol. Mastriano also promises to ban abortion in Pennsylvania and encourages more fracking in our state and throughout the country.

In a battleground state like Pennsylvania, this race could be decided by just a handful of votes. That’s why we’re going all in on Southwest PA.

We’ve already had one major victory. In May, Summer Lee won the Democratic primary for the U.S. House seat in our 12th District. A community organizer and state representative, Lee faced millions of dollars in attack ads from corporate SuperPACs. But Food & Water Action mobilized volunteers to send thousands of letters and phone calls to drum up support. She won her primary by 978 votes — every vote mattered.

Working Toward a Greener Future For Southwest PA

Our work doesn’t end in 2022. After we win in November, we’ll pass ambitious climate legislation in Allegheny County. If county officials can’t step up, we’ll empower voters through a ballot measure. And we’ll continue to support communities to win local fights against fracking wells and pipelines. 

Southwest Pennsylvania has been a casualty for polluting industries for too long, and we’re fighting back. Food & Water Action is leveraging our long history of grassroots organizing and our relationships with communities on the ground. We will continue empowering communities here until we have a Green New Deal and a green new future for Southwest PA.

We’ll win this fight with your help.