ICYMI: NRDC Action Fund Endorses Joe Biden

Today, the NRDC Action Fund, which is dedicated to electing environmental champions, announced its endorsement of Joe Biden for President of the United States. Gina McCarthy, President and CEO of the NRDC Action Fund, authored a post where she wrote: “We need a leader who will bring compassion back to the White House, fight injustice and work to dismantle systemic racism.”
 
“I am honored to receive the support of the NRDC Action Fund, one of the most effective and meaningful voices for nearly 50 years in the fight to deliver real and lasting results for the health of our planet and our communities,” said Vice President Joe Biden. “Climate change poses an existential threat to our environment, economic well-being, and livelihoods, and it demands we take swift and sweeping action to protect our planet and its people. I am proud to have the NRDC Action Fund, under the exceptional leadership of my friend Gina McCarthy, by my side as we lead the country and the world in a clean energy revolution that will help us reduce our carbon emissions and create good-paying union jobs.”
 
NRDC Action Fund issued the following press release and blog post:

The NRDC Action Fund, a national environmental advocacy organization, today announced its endorsement of Joe Biden for president of the United States.

Gina McCarthy, president and CEO of the NRDC Action Fund, issued the following statement:

“America is in crisis. The next president will be responsible for rebuilding our nation from this pandemic, putting an end to the epidemic of Black people dying at the hands of police, and guiding us through the growing climate crisis. We need a leader who will bring compassion back to the White House, fight injustice and work to dismantle systemic racism. One who will put the safety of every community’s air and drinking water above the profits of polluters. One who is committed to growing America’s clean energy economy and giving our children a brighter future. That person is Joe Biden, and we are proud to endorse him.”

Biden has proposed a national plan to grow clean energy jobs, slash America’s greenhouse gas emissions, and make international climate change cooperation a central tenet of his foreign policy. Meanwhile, President Trump’s numerous anti-environment actions have included attempts to roll back federal regulations designed to safeguard public health, protect endangered species, and limit climate-wrecking emissions. Recent public polling shows voters overwhelmingly trust Biden over President Trump to manage the nation’s environment and energy issues.

The NRDC Action Fund this year launched its largest-ever electoral effort to support pro-environment federal candidates and turn out the vote in key states on Election Day. The NRDC Action Fund PAC is also supporting GiveGreen, a platform for environmentally minded political donors that raised more than $23 million for its preferred candidates in the 2018 political cycle.

###

This is a release from the NRDC Action Fund, which is an affiliated but separate organization from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The two organizations’ names may not be used interchangeably. As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, the NRDC Action Fund engages in various advocacy and political activities for which the Natural Resources Defense Council, a 501(c)(3) organization, faces certain legal limitations or restrictions. Learn more at www.nrdcactionfund.org and follow us on Twitter at @NRDC_AF.

###

 

 
By Gina McCarthy
 
Over 100,000 Americans dead from a pandemic and double that expected by fall. An epidemic of Black people killed at the hands of police. More than 45 million people newly unemployed with no end in sight.
 
America is in crisis. And times like these reveal why federal leadership matters.
 
Our nation is hurting. Uncertainty and fear have upended our lives. The climate crisis is worsening. Unemployment is soaring. Rampant violence against Black people by those abusing their power is being fueled by speech that enables hate and intolerance. Injustice remains largely unaddressed. Yet, the White House has responded with a lack of empathy, willful ignorance and even encouragement of violence. This is what failed federal leadership looks like.
 
Five months from now, our nation will vote for the person who will lead us out of the woods. We need a leader who will unite us, and bring compassion back to the White House. We need someone who will stand up for all of us, especially those who have been the target of systemic racism and marginalization. We need someone who will put the needs of people before the wants of polluters. We need a leader who can rebuild us from the crises we are reeling from today, and make us stronger and more resilient against the demands of the next.
 
That person is Joe Biden. And we must do everything we can between now and November to ensure that he is our next president.
 
I spent eight years working with Biden in the Obama administration. I have always known him to be a good man and a thoughtful leader—nothing short of presidential.
 
I believe he will take more aggressive reforms to dismantle the systemic racism that pervades our society and put a stop to Black deaths at the hands of police. Because Joe Biden listens and learns.
 
I believe he will stand up for public health—as evidenced by his long track record on advocacy for cancer research and global pandemic preparedness, as well as his experience helping to lead our nation’s responses to the Ebola and SARS outbreaks.
 
And I have faith he will follow science and the law, surrounding himself with advisors that embrace strong climate actions.
 
When I was at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, I always knew President Obama and Vice President Biden had our backs. They understood the threats of climate change. They supported our agency staff. They trusted us to protect people and our planet from the devastating consequences of climate change. We need to bring that level of respect and expertise back to the federal government. We need Joe Biden.
 
His climate plan will be the most aggressive and comprehensive ever undertaken by any administration in our nation’s history, because Biden knows that’s what the challenges of the times demand.
 
He knows that climate action will make our communities healthier, our economy stronger and our country more secure. This pandemic has laid bare bitter and inexcusable inequities that are having life and death consequences for those that suffer most from climate change; and he will speak up and act in the face of injustice. He will strengthen the resilience of communities on the frontlines of pollution. And he will fight to ensure that safe water, clean air and healthy communities are rights shared equally by all Americans, not a luxury accorded to a privileged few.
 
He will move us toward clean energy industries that hold more economic opportunity and smarter ways to power our future. And he will shift us away from fossil fuels that pollute our air, make us sick and drive climate change.
 
That shift requires large-scale job training opportunities to give workers an on-ramp to the low carbon economy, especially for regions tied to fossil fuels. Already, 3.4 million Americans are working in clean energy jobs — three times as many as those in the fossil fuel industry. We can put millions more back to work through his plan to make the United States a leader in clean energy. We can create more good union jobs by rebuilding failing infrastructure or making the cars of the future.
 
Addressing the scale and urgency of the climate crisis also requires a keen understanding of how government works beyond the Beltway. Biden will connect not only with the party faithful, but with Americans across the political spectrum. He can build the coalition we need to move Congress toward legislation to implement climate solutions. Using his experience, relationships and diplomatic skills — I trust he will restore our credibility on the world stage by rejoining the Paris climate agreement and turbocharging clean energy and climate action nationwide.
 
Right now, it is painfully clear, the Trump administration is dragging the U.S. down the wrong path. We aren’t just missing from the climate battlefield; we have switched sides in the war. Instead of limiting pollution, Trump is weakening environmental enforcements, rolling back protections and handing out favors to his powerful polluter friends — all at the expense of the American people.
 
Our health, our communities, and our economy can’t afford four more years of the Trump agenda. We must fight back. We must vote for Joe Biden in November for the sake of our children and the future of our great country. That is why I am proud to announce that the NRDC Action Fund is endorsing Joe Biden for President.
 
Gina McCarthy is president and CEO of the NRDC Action Fund.