reports from the field

Campaign Finance Reform: Opening New Doors forEnvironmental Advocacy
B y Ma r c Capla n a n d A m b e r F r e n c h , P i pe r F u n d

In the past year, advocates in half theUS states have significantly advanced
efforts to secure comprehensive publicfinancing programs in what is proving to
be an unprecedented groundswell forelectoral reform.
Substantial activity is under way to enact new,comprehensive public-financing programs or to implement or significantly improve existing campaign financereform laws. Additionally, a serious and long-awaited
campaign to win public financing for congressional elections has been launched this year with bipartisan support. Fueled by scandals that have rocked federal andstate governments, public demand for reform is at an
all-time high, and at least three governors have demonstrated strong leadership on public financing for the firsttime in recent months.
With this momentum, an unprecedented number of
new states are poised to win comprehensive reformsof their own, and advocates on a range of social, economic, and environmental issues find themselves ata turning point. If successful, the movement will helploosen the powerful hold of major corporations andother special interests on lawmakers and, in so doing,present new opportunities to advance policy in thepublic interest. Public-financing programs may also
help level the playing field among pro-environment andsocial-justice-minded candidates and their opponents,and encourage those interested in public service to run
for office, free of the obstacle of raising enormous sumsof money from special interests.
Current Programs
Comprehensive, statewide programs for publicly
financed elections have been in place in Arizona andMaine since the late 1990s. Forty-two percent and 84
percent, respectively, of the two states’ legislatures
have been elected under this system—along with nine
14 EGA Journalof 11 Arizona state officeholders, including Governor
Janet Napolitano herself. A pilot program in the New
Jersey Legislature was expanded to three districts thisyear. Public-financing programs have also been enacted
in several municipalities, including Portland (Oregon),
Albuquerque, and New York City. Judicial public-financing programs have been established in North Carolina
and New Mexico, the latter backed by strong leadershipfrom Governor Bill Richardson.
The Role of Environmental Groups
In many states moving reform efforts, environmentalgroups are participating or even leading coalition efforts
to advance public financing as part of a larger effort toaddress the power of moneyed special interests overthe political process—an undue influence that weakens
or even eliminates environmental laws and policies in
the public interest.
b In West Virginia, the 20-year-old Ohio Valley
Environmental Coalition (OVEC) is working to end
mountaintop-removal mining, which not only eradicates some of the most biologically diverse temperate hardwood forest habitat in the world, but also
destroys and displaces entire human communities,
eroding the unique mountain culture of the state.
People who remain face numerous problems including contamination of drinking water, coal waste
and sludge impoundment leaks or failures, andblasting-related breathing problems. Many of thesesocial and environmental problems can be traced
to the heavy-handed and disproportionate influence
the coal industry exerts over politicians through its
enormous campaign contributions.
To combat this effect, OVEC leads both thePeople’s Election Reform Coalition, which tracks,analyzes, and publicizes special-interest contributions, and Citizens for Clean Elections, a diverse
coalition of 23 organizations that promotes publicfunding for state legislative races.
b In North Carolina, advocates for campaign financereform and environmental issues have collaborated

for the past 10 years. In the mid-1990s, reports
about the influence of election contributions by thehog industry spurred a successful effort to imposea moratorium on new hog farms. Later effortsresulted in limiting the power of political appointees(often major campaign donors) on the state Boardof Transportation. Now, these groups are working toexpose the political money behind the electric utilities' manipulation of renewable-energy legislation.

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Funding Opportunities
In addition to the examples above, a number of nearterm opportunities exist to advance new public-financing programs for statewide, legislative, judicial, and/or municipal elections. Judicial public-financing efforts
in Wisconsin and Illinois may advance as early as thisyear, while Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, and Colorado
are poised to move various comprehensive publicfinancing programs in 2008. New York state and somemajor cities, including Los Angeles, have a real chance
at winning comprehensive reform in 2009. State andregional funders should watch for synergy or points ofconnection between environmental-advocacy efforts inthese areas and public-financing campaigns.
Foundations also have an important role to play insupporting the extensive public education and researchrequired for any strong public-interest advocacy work,including campaign finance reform. Environmental
funders in particular should encourage grantees tothink deeply and strategically about the obstacles toachieving their long-term goals and to include systemslevel problems, such as those associated with money

Photo courtesy of Piper Fundb In Connecticut, several environmental groups,
particularly ConnPIRG and Sierra Club, joined theClean Up Connecticut Campaign to help pass comprehensive public financing in 2005. Their involvement in the campaign stemmed from a long, arduous fight to close several coal-burning power plants
known as the Sooty Six, which led environmentalgroups to recognize that public financing of political campaigns not only eliminates the influence ofdeep-pocketed contributors who want to weaken
environmental regulations but also enables them tohelp field candidates who want to strengthen suchrules. With the reform bill scheduled to become law
in 2008, activists from Common Cause are now
working with environmental groups to engage proenvironment candidates to run for office.

“King Coal,” who doles out campaign cash to influence West Virginia
politicians, crashes a rally opposing mountain-top coal removal.

in politics, in any strategic plan. In addition, funders
should consider supporting nonpartisan public education, outreach, and training efforts that can engage environmental organizations and civic leaders in tapping
public-financing programs in states and municipalities
where they already exist.
Opening Up the Democratic Process
Funders and advocates face a range of exciting and challenging new opportunities to open up the democratic process, lessen the influence of moneyed special interests,
and more deeply engage environmental leaders in civiclife. While responsibility and credit for the ultimate success of this work rests with the advocates, researchers,and organizers who move the issue, funders can help
them shape a more democratic future. nFALL 2007 15