Biden for President
Sierra Club
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2020

 ICYMI: Sierra Club Endorses Joe Biden for President

Today, the Sierra Club, America’s largest and grassroots environmental organization, offered its endorsement of Joe Biden for President. Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said that Biden “will be the champion for climate justice that America needs in the White House,” stop Donald Trump’s disastrous environmental policies, and lead a clean energy revolution and achieve environmental justice.
 
“The Sierra Club has spent more than 125 years pioneering a grassroots movement to protect our planet, fight for clean air and water, and ensure we build a sustainable future. It is an honor to have earned their support and to fight alongside their millions of members who will work to defeat Donald Trump and ensure we elect climate action leaders across the country,” Vice President Biden said. “The ongoing public health and economic crisis has presented a new opportunity for our nation to come together and tackle the climate crisis, delivering the most transformative progress in decades and creating millions of good paying union jobs.”
 
Sierra Club issued the following press release:
 
 
Washington, DC -- Today, the Sierra Club endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for President of the United States.
 
Along with its endorsement, the Sierra Club has launched the biggest grassroots political operation in the organization’s 128-year history. The organization will mobilize its robust volunteer base to work tirelessly -- making millions of phone calls, sending millions of texts and letters, and more -- to elect Biden and climate champions up and down the ticket.
 
Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
 
“We are confident that Joe Biden will be the champion for climate justice that America needs in the White House. As Americans head to the polls in November, our country will be facing crises on multiple fronts, including a climate emergency that disproportionately harms communities of color. This may be the most consequential election of our lives, and it is critical that we replace Donald Trump with a leader who understands the scale and urgency of the climate crisis and is ready to take bold action to solve it.
 
“No president has been worse for our environment or our nation's public health than Donald Trump. He has sold off our public lands to corporate polluters, waged unprecedented attacks on environmental protections, and prioritized the desires of fossil fuel company executives over the best interests of the American people at every turn. In contrast, Joe Biden has laid out a bold vision of safeguarding our air and water, transitioning to a clean energy economy, and investing in communities that for too long have been left behind and forced to deal with the pollution caused by our reliance on fossil fuels. These ambitious plans came as a result of listening to the calls of the climate justice movement, and we are committed to continuing to hold Biden accountable to making them a reality and evolving still further.”

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interestingly, the endorsement was preceded by two of the campaign's strongest statements on environment

Biden for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
August 9, 2020

Statement by Vice President Joe Biden on Bristol Bay

Bristol Bay has been foundational to the way of life of Alaska Natives for countless generations, provides incredible joy for recreational anglers from across the country, and is an economic powerhouse that supplies half of the world’s wild sockeye salmon. It is no place for a mine. The Obama-Biden Administration reached that conclusion when we ran a rigorous, science-based process in 2014, and it is still true today. The only reason we are still debating whether Pebble Mine should move forward is because hours after former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt met with a mining executive behind closed doors, the Trump Administration reversed our thoughtful decision. Now, Alaskan culture, traditions, and jobs are on the line. As President, I will do what President Trump has failed to do: listen to the scientists and experts to protect Bristol Bay — and all it offers to Alaska, our country, and the world. 

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Biden for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
August 7, 2020

Statement by Vice President Joe Biden on the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is first among the landmarks of our nation — holy to the Tribes who preserve it and call it home, and sacred to all Americans. This national treasure attracts millions of visitors each year, supporting thousands of jobs for Arizonans and contributing more than $1 billion to the state economy. But where virtually every American sees an irreplaceable jewel, Donald Trump sees yet another opportunity to fracture something inviolable for profit. By opening the door to mining companies to extract uranium from the Grand Canyon, Trump is threatening to deface the natural splendor of our nation, poison the land and water relied on by local communities, and drive a drill into the heart of one of Arizona’s cultural and economic cornerstones. Already, the federal government is cleaning up uranium contamination in Navajo Nation and studying its potential impact on health concerns ranging from kidney illness to cancer. Once again, Donald Trump is proving that there is nothing in America that is sacred to him.
 
Any suggestion that we cannot create jobs or increase our energy competitiveness without spoiling historically, environmentally, and culturally significant public lands is false and disgraceful. As Vice President, I helped oversee record job growth and a dramatic reduction in America’s reliance on foreign energy sources — including by implementing the largest clean energy investments in our nation’s history — while protecting and bolstering our public lands and the local economies they support. As President, I will further that work by rebuilding our depleted economy around modern infrastructure and an equitable clean energy future. It’s a plan that will create millions of well-paying union jobs and revitalize our communities without jeopardizing the places we hold dear.
 
If Donald Trump chooses to tarnish America’s foremost natural wonder, then there is truly no line he is unwilling to cross. Americans must come together to preserve our sacred spaces, build a new economy grounded in dignity and respect, and put an end to Donald Trump’s defacement of our nation.

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