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DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE ACTION FUND LAUNCHES NEW ROUND OF ADS TARGETING CONGRESSMAN POMBO

 Campaign to Highlight Congressman’s Anti-Conservation Agenda, Ties to Special Interests Continues

Sacramento, CA − The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund’s ongoing “Pombo in their Pocket” campaign to expose Congressman Richard Pombo’s (R-CA) ties to special interests, kicked into high gear today with the launching of another round of advertising and grassroots outreach. Beginning today, residents in the Sacramento area will see ads highlighting the Congressman’s ties to development interests and the environmental damage caused by the Congressman’s agenda. The ads direct viewers to a special website, www.pombointheirpocket.com, where details about Rep. Pombo’s questionable ties to industry can be found. An aggressive phoning campaign is also part of this new phase of the campaign, which follows a flight of ads run in mid-November.

“Congressman Pombo is the most anti-conservation member of Congress. He has repeatedly put the interests of his campaign contributors above the interests of his constituents. The people he represents deserve to know whose water Mr. Pombo is really carrying,” said Rodger Schlickeisen, President of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.

According to www.opensecrets.org, Congressman Pombo has accepted more than $199,000 in campaign contributions from developers and real estate interests and is one of the largest recipients of contributions from oil and gas interests in the entire Congress, taking in nearly $85,000 in his last campaign.

“Congressman Pombo’s campaign contributors have certainly gotten their money’s worth. Almost every piece of legislation Mr. Pombo writes directly benefits one of these special interest groups, often at the expense of our nation’s natural heritage,” said Schlickeisen. “Whether it’s drilling for oil off California’s coast, gutting the Endangered Species Act, or selling off America’s public lands at cut-rate prices, Mr. Pombo always seems to look out for the people who gave him the most money instead of the people who gave him the most votes.”

The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund’s “Pombo in their Pocket” campaign kicked off in November with a series of ads in the Sacramento and San Francisco regions. This phase of the campaign includes TV ads in Sacramento, newspaper ads in the Tracy and Stockton papers, and an aggressive phoning campaign to educate Congressman Pombo’s constituents about his record. Also included is some advertising in Capitol Hill news outlets.

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is the voice of the wildlife conservation community in the legislative and political process. Defenders Action Fund educates the public about the legislative records of members of Congress and how their votes affect our country’s wildlife and the environment. Defenders Action Fund will run targeted campaigns to motivate conservation voters and encourage them to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

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