Clinton scores prized green group endorsement

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is getting a prized endorsement from one of the nation’s leading environmental groups.

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, the LCV’s campaign affiliate, announced on Monday that it is backing Clinton.

{mosads}It is the first time in more than three decades that the LCV Action Fund has made a presidential endorsement before any primary elections have taken place.

“When it comes to fighting the climate crisis, the stakes couldn’t be higher — and we are confident that Hillary Clinton is the right person for the job,” Gene Karpinski, the group’s president, said in a statement.

“With her proven history of leadership, strong environmental record, and a campaign committed to building a clean energy future, Hillary Clinton is without a doubt the most effective leader to stand up to Big Polluters and push forward an aggressive plan to tackle climate change and get it done,” he said.

Karpinski will announce the endorsement formally in New Hampshire Monday with Clinton and Carol Browner, chairwoman of the LCV Action Fund board and head of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Bill Clinton.

“With a history of leadership on the international stage and a commitment to protecting public health, Hillary Clinton is the leader we need to meet the climate crisis head-on,” Browner said in the statement.

The LCV is known in the environmental community for keeping a widely used scorecard of lawmakers based on their voting records. Clinton’s score is 82 percent, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-V.), her top rival in the Democratic race, has a score of 95 percent.

Sanders obtained the first endorsement from a major environmental group in July when Friends of the Earth Action, an activist organization, endorsed his campaign.