For Immediate Release
Links:
Sierra Club letter to Facebook
Sierra Club letter to Change Maryland
Riverdale, MD - Today Maryland Sierra Club sent a cease and desist letter to "Change Maryland" the pro-Gov. Hogan PAC, for inappropriate and misleading use of Sierra Club’s name on Facebook ads promoting the I-495 and I-270 toll lane expansion plan. Additionally, Sierra Club wrote to Facebook urging them to tag three ads written by Change Maryland and promoted by them as "misinformation" and “false news.”
Sierra Club argued that three of the ads (ad 1, ad 2, ad 3) violate several of Facebook’s policies, including Rule #13 on misinformation in advertisements and Rule #20 on "false news."
Change Maryland began running ads on June 29th, boosting several posts by Governor Hogan. The three ads improperly and inaccurately reference Sierra Club and include false information about the I-495 and I-270 project's environmental and economic impacts; they:
- falsely claim that Governor Hogan’s highway project will benefit the climate and reduce air pollution
- falsely characterize Sierra Club’s view on the relationship between air pollution and highway expansion
- falsely claim that removing Governor Hogan’s highway project from the long range transportation plan puts at risk every project in the region
Maryland Sierra Club Director, Joshua Tulkin, gave this statement:
"These ads are jam-packed with inaccurate information and attempt to use Sierra Club’s name to legitimize his attacks. It is unbecoming of a governor and a violation of Facebook policy. We appreciate Governor Hogan finally recognizing Sierra Club as an 'environmental expert.' If Governor Hogan would spend more time listening to environmental experts, rather than denigrating them with attack ads, Maryland would be better off. The Governor’s toll lane highway expansion would lead to more harmful climate pollution and put Marylanders financially at risk by handing our highways to a foreign company. No amount of attack ads can change these facts.”