SierraScape February - March 2003
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by MacNeer Dillon
Political Action Committee Chair

The results of the 2002 election in Missouri and in the nation, judged from the environmental point of view were anything but encouraging. In the Nation's capital both the House and the Senate have tilted to Republican majorities. This may make it much easier for President Bush to get anti-environmental legislation passed. Environmentalists have lost a battle, but I do not believe that the situation is hopeless.

In Missouri, about 51% of the registered voters cast their ballots in 2002, which was above the national average. The Eastern Missouri Group of the Sierra Club endorsed 14 candidates in our area, (including U.S. Senate candidate, Jean Carnahan). Of these, eleven were elected to the legislature. For as much as we were able to undertake, we did not do so badly in support of environmental candidates. Nevertheless, it was insufficient to sustain our cause in Missouri. Statewide, Republicans won control of both the House and the Senate. The people who promote the "no stricter than federal" and the "audit privilege" proposals now control the Missouri Legislature. They now may be able to overcome the resistance of environmentalists to these proposals.

The only real solution for this problem will be to work even harder at the grassroots level to elect environmentalists to office who will protect the water, air and resources that are threatened. Dedicated political action could accomplish this. This would require serious conviction and real commitment from a large number of people, not just a few. This would demand time, effort, organization, and money. Republicans in Missouri did their political work more thoroughly than Democrats did. They maintained a pretty consistent message. They began early in the election period to find candidates and to raise money to support them. They put together local district organizations to work for their candidates. Much of this work was already done before the Democrats really got moving in their districts. It was done well before environmental organizations got moving. Having things already in place contributed greatly to the Republican sweep of Missouri statewide.

Environmentalists and Democrats will have to do equivalent political work to counter the strong anti-environmental tide that has now been created.