A top environmental group endorsed New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan in her race against Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte, despite Ayotte’s support for President Obama’s Clean Power Plan.
Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, said the Democrat has been a “strong advocate” for environmental policies in the state Senate and as governor. Despite Ayotte being one of the few Republicans in the Senate who supports President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, Hassan would be a stronger advocate for green policies, Brune said.
“As governor and state senator, Hassan has been a strong advocate, pushing to cut greenhouse gases, safeguard New Hampshire’s drinking water, and protect its public lands,” he said. “Gov. Hassan has consistently fought to protect the Granite State, and the Sierra Club looks forward to working with her in the Senate.”
Ayotte was the first Republican in the Senate to declare her support for Obama’s signature environmental regulation and currently leads Hassan by less than a point, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls. The Clean Power Plan sets goals for states to cut emissions on new and existing coal power plants with the aim to reduce carbon pollution from power plants 30 percent by 2030. Many scientists blame greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide for driving manmade climate change.
Brune cited Hassan-sponsored legislation to protect New Hampshire’s air and water, her work on allowing the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative among East Coast states that aims to reduce emissions, and passing the Renewable Portfolio Standard, a measure that supports the clean energy market in the state, as reasons for the endorsement.
As governor, Hassan pushed to fully fund a program that protected New Hampshire’s public lands, supported the Clean Power Plan and signed an agreement to limit global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius.
Hassan said she was happy to accept the endorsement.
“In the Senate, I will work to build on the progress we’ve made in New Hampshire, including working to expand the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, set strong goals for clean energy, and finally end taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuel companies,” she said.
