Groups to Push O'Malley (D-MD gov. elect) on Environment

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-elect/2006/nov/27/112704253.html

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Environmental groups poured thousands of dollars and worked the phones to help get Democrat Martin O'Malley elected governor. Now they're looking for Maryland's next governor to steer changes in how the state approaches growth, Chesapeake Bay restoration and other environmental concerns.

Betsy Johnson, chairwoman of the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club, said her group sent 17,000 newsletters to state members backing O'Malley, who defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich. Sierra Club volunteers canvassed the state rallying support for O'Malley and helped staff phone banks for the Democrat. So, as the Baltimore mayor prepares a course for the next four years, Johnson said, he'd be wise to consider the help he got from environmental activists.

"We would like a governor who actually supports us," Johnson said.

The wish list for environmentalists is long, and not all agree what the priorities should be. But there was consensus from environmental activists and an O'Malley spokesman that the next four years will likely see a new emphasis on reducing sprawl, preserving undeveloped land and reducing carbon emissions in an attempt to address global warming.

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