Criticism of Coal, ‘Big Oil’ Helped Obama in Swing States, Environmentalists Say

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Pro-environmental candidates were elected across-the-board in key states, unseating incumbents who advocated failed policies connected with “big oil,” said Gene Karpinksi, president of the League of Conservation Voters. The Senate races in Colorado, New Hampshire, and New Mexico were prioritized, he said, because the outcome could directly influence new legislation. Karpinski also said that President-elect Obama has a firm understanding of the connection between sound energy policy, economic growth and national security. With the Senate now closer to a pro-environmentalist 60-seat majority, Karpinski anticipates a strong push for policy changes divorced from the oil and coal industry. Polling results showed that even Republican-leaning voters such as hunters and fishermen were supportive of adopting new energy polices, said Sue Brown, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund (NWF). Over 80 percent of hunters and anglers believe the United States should establish a new vision on energy policy and set a goal to achieve 100 percent of electricity from clean, renewable sources within the next decade, according to a NWF poll, which Brown cited. She also noted that all seven of the congressional candidates endorsed by the NWF prevailed....