PRESS RELEASE

CONSERVATION GROUP LAUNCHES TV AD AND WEB SITE LABELING REP. POMBO AS AN ENEMY OF AMERICA'S WILDLIFE HERITAGE
TV, Internet Ads Target Congressman Pombo, Stress Development Ties

Sacramento, CA -- A new television ad and web site criticizing Congressman Pombo's ambitious agenda to gut landmark conservation laws was released today by a leading national conservation group, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.

"Congressman Pombo may not represent his constituent's interests, but he certainly represents the interests of his biggest donors," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. "As chair of the House Resources Committee, Mr. Pombo has been the beneficiary of large donations from the oil and gas industry, mining, and big developers."

"Now, in order to promote even more rapid and uncontrolled development, he has mounted an all out assault on America's wildlife heritage," said Schlickeisen.

Mr. Pombo has introduced legislation to allow drilling off our coastlines. He is leading the charge to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling while lifting environmental safeguards. He has supported efforts to allow more toxic mercury pollution in our air and even proposed selling off 15 of our national parks. At the same time as his constituents are paying record prices at the pump, he has voted against legislation that would increase the fuel efficiency for automobiles.

Recently, he steamrolled a bill through the House of Representatives that would gut the Endangered Species Act and undermine our nation's commitment to the recovery of endangered and threatened wildlife. A recently released poll showed that 66% of Congressman Pombo's constituents support the Endangered Species Act.

"This bill is a developers dream come true," said Schlickeisen. "Mr. Pombo made false promises to improve the act to promote the recovery of our nation's most vulnerable wildlife, but instead he authored a bill full of loopholes for developers who will find it all the easier to build projects that do not make proper provisions for protecting endangered wildlife and our quality of life. The bill goes so far as to force taxpayers to pay developers to not kill endangered plants and animals."

"Clearly, Pombo is in the pocket of wealthy developers and oil industry lobbyists," said Schlickeisen.

To expose this assault on our wildlife heritage, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is airing a new television ad in the San Francisco and Sacramento media markets. "Pombo in Their Pocket" will help educate Mr. Pombo's constituents and others that care about our nation's wildlife heritage and encourage them to take action. The television and web based ad campaign will encourage people to tell Mr. Pombo that he is out of step with his constituents and too close to developers and other special interests.

View the ads at www.pombointheirpocket.org.

Affiliated with Defenders of Wildlife, the Defenders Action Fund is 501(c)(4) organization created to provide the wildlife conservation community with a stronger voice in the political process. For more information, see www.defendersactionfund.org.