October 22, 2012
Contact: Josh McNeil, 215.564.3350, joshua.mcneil@conservationpa.
Chris Dietz Earns Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Endorsement
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania (CVPA), which works to turn environmental values into Pennsylvania priorities, announced its endorsement of Chris Dietz for State Representative in District 104.
“Chris Dietz will stand up for our families and fight for clean air and safe drinking water,” said CVPA Executive Director Josh McNeil. “He will be a powerful and thoughtful voice for a healthy environment.”
“I would like to thank Conservation Voters of PA for their endorsement of my campaign for State Representative,” Dietz said. “As a central PA native, I have spent a good portion of my life in our great outdoors. Our forests, mountains, and rivers are a blessing to our families. I have spent my time as President of Millersburg Borough Council supporting initiatives promoting restoration of our polluted waterways, creating outdoor recreation opportunities, and preserving our farmland. I look forward to working with CVPA to preserve our clean air and water for our future generations.”
Dietz has challenged incumbent Representative Sue Helm, who failed to serve the interests of her constituents on the crucial issue of Marcellus Shale drilling. Helm earned a 23% score on CVPA’s 2012 Marcellus Shale Scorecard, voting three times to lower gas company taxes and in favor of state budget cuts to education, health and environmental protection. In voting for Act 13, Helm took away the right of local communities to decide if pipelines and other potentially dangerous gas facilities can be built near schools, hospitals and homes.
“Representative Helm put the interests of Governor Corbett and gas industry lobbyists above the interests of her constituents,” McNeil continued. “If Helm had supported a real tax on gas drillers, she could have saved the jobs of thousands of teachers, lowered property taxes, and preserved farm land and open space. She made the wrong choice and she is the wrong choice for District 104.”
“As State Representative, I will strive to fund DEP at levels that will allow them to have enough time to properly review fracking applications,” Dietz pledged. “I will work to make sure science is used to guide our environmental policy here in Pennsylvania in order to protect our natural lands and resources.”
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