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Today, the Center for Western Priorities released two new video ads highlighting the Mountain West’s growing outdoor voting bloc—estimated to be 2 million voters strong—which is poised to play an outsized role in 2020 elections.
“Mailboxes” features outdoor enthusiasts in action. Each carries a ballot in hand and drops it into a mailbox, symbolizing the unique role outdoor issues play in the choices Western voters make. “Voting Booth” shows the ways in which public lands unite voters in the West. The ad shows nine individuals hiking separately and eventually converging as they assemble around an outdoor voting booth, united in their support for the outdoors and public lands issues.
The Center for Western Priorities' recent Winning the West 2020 poll shows that this year, outdoor issues will play an even more decisive role in the outcome of close races as voters' connection to the outdoors grows during the global pandemic. 81 percent of Western voters say national public lands, parks, and wildlife issues are important to them in making election decisions. The importance of public lands and wildlife issues increased during the COVID-19 pandemic for 34 percent of voters, while remaining durable for the rest.
Alignment in the West behind pro-conservation positions translates into bipartisan support for policies such as the 30x30 plan to protect 30 percent of America’s land and water by 2030, which receives support from 75 percent of Western voters. In an increasingly divided political environment, it is particularly noteworthy that the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act and the Great American Outdoors Act are among the few pieces of non-COVID-19-related legislation to be passed by large bipartisan margins and signed into law recently.
Forum examines impact of dams on tribes, stakeholders
Yesterday, the chair of the House Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee led a livestreamed forum examining the impact of Oregon and California's Klamath Dams on tribes, fisheries, and downstream stakeholders. Although the dams have made millions for the utility PacifiCorp and Berkshire Hathaway, they have also negatively impacted native communities and cultures and those who depend on the river's fish.
Tribes and conservationists have been pushing for removal of the four aging dams for decades, and settlements were recently reached to do just that. However, the utility has looked to back out, and was pressed on whether it would recommit to the country's largest dam removal project.
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That’s baloney. That’s not how it works. You don’t want the deputy director of policy and programs being able to dictate who’s in charge of the (bureau.) It’s too important an agency... He needs to be removed.”
