Green group spends $1M touting lawmakers’ clean energy work

The League of Conservation Voters launched a $1 million national television campaign touting the work of five members of Congress who promote clean energy.

{mosads}The ads, which began running on Thursday in the lawmakers’ states, applaud them on issues including clean energy, economy, pollution and clean water.

They praise Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) and Reps. Pete Gallego (D-Texas) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.).

“These environmental allies are standing up to the Tea Party and working across the aisle to help break the gridlock in Washington,” Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters, said in a statement.

“We’re proud to defend their leadership protecting public health and promoting clean energy in the face of attacks from Big Oil and corporate polluters.”

A spokesman for the league, Jeff Gohringer, told The Hill the conservation group is concerned about the gridlock and Congress and the “polluter-backed groups that are trying to weaken public health and obstruct the energy sector.”

The ads are a way to counter it, Gohringer said, and acknowledge real leaders that are standing up and working across the aisle.

“I think it is important to show our allies that there is an effective force that will have their back when they stand up in Congress on environmental issues,” Gohringer said of the five ads touting the lawmakers.

The green group ran a $2 million campaign of TV ads against climate deniers in Congress earlier this year.