Joe O’Dea “Dangerously Out of Step” with Coloradans on Climate & Public Lands
As Colorado experiences a record-breaking heat wave in September, GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea’s positions on climate and public lands stand out for all the wrong reasons. E&E News reports that O’Dea disagrees with the scientific consensus that human activity is the dominant cause of climate change and he believes the oil and gas industry should avoid accountability and self-regulate.
The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund (LCV) slammed O’Dea for being “dangerously out of step” with Coloradans who are demanding bold climate action. LCV Action Fund released a memo yesterday highlighting O’Dea’s anti-climate positions and his opposition to the CORE Act to protect 400,000 acres of Colorado public lands.
Harmful polluters are backing Joe O’Dea’s Senate campaign. An O’Dea super PAC donor was fined $3.25 million for failing to repair leaks and contaminating the air with toxic emissions that affect Coloradans’ health and contribute to climate change.
Despite climate being a top issue for Coloradans, O’Dea has been avoiding the topic on the campaign trail. According to Colorado Newsline, “O’Dea and his campaign have repeatedly refused to answer questions regarding the candidate’s positions on climate change.”
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O’Dea told the television station Denver 7 earlier this year that he believes climate change is happening and humans cause it to some degree, but “there’s still a debate to be had” about the level of human influence. The scientific consensus on the matter is that human activity, via greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use, are far and away the dominant cause of climate change.
He told The Washington Post that he favors “prudent” but not “urgent” action on climate and would defer to the oil and natural gas industry on environmental policy questions.
LCV Action Fund, which backs Bennet, said O’Dea’s climate positions go against his attempt to be centrist.
“Joe O’Dea’s position is anything but moderate and Coloradans will not be fooled by this cynical attempt at greenwashing his climate denial,” Tiernan Sittenfeld, LCV’s senior vice president of government affairs, said in a statement. “Coloradans are demanding action and O’Dea is dangerously out of step.”