Remind Your Representative that Passing Campaign Finance Reform is Good for the Earth

By banning soft money, Campaign Finance Reform legislation will help reduce the influence of wealthy special interests on public policy. And if we are serious about clearing the air, protecting public health and wiping out pollution, we also have to be serious about cleaning up Congress.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Vote YES for SHAYS-MEEHAN

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I congratulate those members of the House who signed the discharge petition for the Shays-Meehan Campaign Finance Reform bill. Now, I urge you to vote YES when the bill comes before the whole house. As my Representative, I want you to help create a cleaner, healthier political system.

This legislation, which passed the Senate in April and passed in the House in 1998 and in 1999, is more important now than ever as we seek to build confidence in government in this time of national crisis.

It's business as usual for wealthy special interests, who are back to funneling millions of dollars in largely unregulated contributions to the political parties. Americans want to have confidence that decisions being made in Washington are being made in the broad interests of all Americans -- and not in the narrow financial interests of an elite handful of donors.

And banning these discredited soft money contributions is a critical first step. Please vote yes on the Shays-Meehan Campaign Finance Reform bill.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
January 24, 2002

Background Information

With the hullabaloo over Enron's collapse growing louder, House backers of campaign finance reform legislation wrestled up enough signatures this week to force a vote on the issue. The recent controversy over the demise of the energy giant -- whose purse strings wrapped around just about everybody in Washington -- helped supporters of a Senate-passed campaign finance bill (the famous McCain-Feingold bill) attract enough lawmakers to their discharge petition to force the very reluctant Republican leadership to consider the measure. Under House rules, the leadership now has no choice but to bring the legislation up before the whole house for a vote.

This takes us one step closer to cleaner politics and thus cleaner environmental policies. You see, the current campaign finance system makes it possible for the worst polluting industries in the country to use millions of dollars in political contributions to buy access and influence. Key to wielding this influence is the use of soft money -- huge, unlimited contributions to political parties that buy access. There are hundreds of examples showing the link between money and policy -- consider that senators who oppose stronger fuel efficiency standards received more than three times more campaign contributions on average from the auto and oil industries than those senators who support tougher standards.

By banning soft money the Campaign Finance Reform legislation will help reduce the influence of wealthy special interests on public policy. The Reform legislation will help ensure that government decisions are based on what is good for the environment, not what is good for large contributors. If we are serious about clearing the air, protecting public health and cleaning up pollution, we have to clean up Congress first.

We are one step closer, but we still haven't passed anything yet. Just because the reform champions forced the House leadership to allow a vote doesn't mean our Representatives will do the right thing.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

FOR MORE INFO: **Common Cause: http://www.commoncause.org/publications/nov99/environmental.html **US PIRG Report: http://www.pirg.org/reports/enviro/dirtydol/index.htm **Los Angeles Times Article: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-012402campaign_wr.story **Washington Post Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32096-2002Jan24.html