Sanders Campaign Press Release - Environmental Leaders in New Hampshire Endorse Sanders for President

Local activists endorse on same day as Sunrise Movement

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign today announced a slate of endorsements from environmental advocates and leaders in New Hampshire, including State Representative Nancy Murphy of Merrimack. The announcement comes on the same day as a major national environmental endorsement from the Sunrise Movement, a growing coalition of young people working to combat climate change. The endorsements from New Hampshire environmental leaders comes on the heels of Sanders' "End Corporate Greed Tour," where he joined New Hampshirites fighting corporate contamination of local water supplies and vowed to institute national clean water standards as president.

"I sought public office to be a voice for the silenced, to protect our families, our environment and our public health from those who would choose profits over human lives," said State Representative Nancy Murphy. "Three of my children have been diagnosed with health impacts known to be associated with PFAS exposure. I refuse to accept this fate for our children and our communities. We need a president who will choose people over corporations; who will end the ongoing pollution of New Hampshire's air, water, and soil; and who will repair the Trump administration's devastating rollback of longstanding environmental protections. Sen. Bernie Sanders will be that president and I am proud to say he has my full support."

Rep. Murphy was designated a "Water Warrior" for her citizen advocacy around the PFAS contamination of Merrimack's public drinking water by the multinational corporation Saint Gobain. Elected in 2018 to New Hampshire's House of Representatives for Hillsborough 21, Rep. Murphy has since sponsored and co-sponsored numerous environmental and public health related bills, and continues to lead on PFAS related legislation and community action.

State Rep. Murphy is joined in her endorsement of Sen. Sanders by fellow New Hampshire environmental leaders Stephanie Scherr of Fitzwilliam, Keene State University Professor Dr. Nora Traviss, Professor of Meteorology at Plymouth State University Dr. Sam Miller, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Conservation at the University of New Hampshire Dr. John Carroll, and youth and environmental activists Sam Tardiff of Dover and Maggie Phillips of Keene.

Shannon Jackson, New Hampshire State Director for the Sanders campaign, added, "There is no candidate more dedicated to passing a Green New Deal and caring for those affected by the climate crisis than Bernie Sanders. It is an honor to have these strong leaders in New Hampshire's environmental community throw their support behind our campaign."

Sen. Sanders continues to lead in fighting chemical pollution and defending environmental protections. He is the lead sponsor of the WATER Act in the Senate, which would provide clean drinking water infrastructure funding to mitigate PFAS contamination. He is also co-sponsoring legislation to designate PFAS as toxic chemicals under federal law, and he has co-authored amendments pushing the EPA and other agencies to more stringently address PFAS pollution.

Thanks in part to lobbying efforts and contributions from corporations like 3M and Dupont, the Environmental Protection Agency has yet to set limits on PFAS and Congress recently failed to act on a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Sanders that would have designated PFAS as a toxic chemical. As President, Bernie Sanders will hold corporations accountable for their messes. In addition to setting a national standard for PFAS in drinking water, Sanders has pledged to appoint officials in the Justice Department and EPA who will crack down on industrial pollution contaminating our water supplies. Sanders will also support state efforts to protect their environment, including against lawsuits attempting to overturn safety standards like the one launched by 3M in New Hampshire.