Stender receives Sierra Club endorsement
Honored for continued commitment to championing environmental causes
May 9, 2008
FLEMINGTON – Today, Linda Stender proudly accepted the Sierra Club’s endorsement for the Democratic primary in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. Stender was recognized for her long-standing commitment to championing smart environmental policies that protect our earth and ensure a healthier, greener planet for Garden State families.
Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, announced the endorsement and voiced his organization’s strong support for Stender in the upcoming campaign.
“We need a powerful environmental advocate like Linda Stender fighting for us in Washington,” Tittel said. “Stender has a remarkably strong record at both the local and state level of standing up for environmental causes, and she would be a wonderful voice for our interests in Congress. Linda Stender would work to create a cleaner, greener world for New Jersey families.”
Stender was honored to receive the endorsement, and looks forward to continuing to champion environmental causes in Washington.
“The failed policies of the Bush Administration have led our country in the wrong direction, and I’m running for Congress to get us back on the right track,” she said. “We need a leader in Washington who will stand up for our interests and protect our earth for future generations. In Congress, I’ll work to stop global warming and bring down gas prices by ending our dependence on foreign oil and investing in renewable energies.”
In the Assembly, Stender wrote and sponsored the landmark Global Warming Response Act. The legislation made New Jersey the first state in the nation to require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (20% reduction by 2020, 80% reduction by 2050). Scientists believe such major reductions are needed to stop global warming. Former President Al Gore attended the bill-signing ceremony with Stender and other legislators.
She also sponsored legislation that today subsidizes the development of greener technology, requires the state to replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs, exempts hybrid and high fuel-efficiency vehicles from sales tax, and requires a reduction in diesel emissions from trucks and buses. As a Union County Freeholder, Stender created the Union County Open Space, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, which preserves open space and pursues environmentally sound policies.
“The Sierra Club looks forward to working with Stender as the campaign moves forward, and educating New Jersey families about environmental causes Stender will champion in Congress,” Tittel said.
The Sierra Club is the nation’s oldest and largest environmental group, and seeks to influence public policy in both Washington and state capitals through public education and grass-roots political action. Nationally, the Sierra Club has 750,000 members, and boasts over 20,000 in New Jersey alone. The chapter is the 10th largest of the 65 chapters in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
