California Democrat and environmental stalwart Sen. Barbara Boxer on Wednesday will become the first recipient of a prominent activist group’s Courage Award for blocking GOP energy priorities this Congress, including approval of the Keystone XL pipeline and Arctic drilling.
“By standing up to polluters and ensuring our food, air, and water are safe, Sen. Boxer has been a true champion on behalf of families in California and across the U.S.,” said Ken Cook, the Environmental Working Group’s president and cofounder, who is giving her the award. “She deserves repeated acknowledgment of her remarkable, tireless efforts to maintain a healthy, sustainable world.”
The group said one of the main reasons she is being given the award is for standing up against the Keystone XL pipeline and drilling in the Arctic.
“She has been one of the most steadfast and vocal lawmakers addressing the looming crisis of climate change and the dangers of oil and gas drilling” by leading “efforts in the Senate to block the Keystone pipeline and to stop drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” the group said.
Cook said the award is meant to “raise the profile of leaders such as Sen. Boxer and to recognize those leading the charge against polluters and big industry.” The Courage Award will honor “game-changers” that “speak truth to power and who are unafraid to push for a healthier environment and the public’s right to know.”
Boxer, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, plans to retire next year after four terms in the Senate. She will receive the award Wednesday evening at the group’s annual gala at the Carnegie Library in Washington.
