Plenty Of Love For Both Parties

Environmental Defense, a prominent nonprofit seeking business-friendly solutions to growing global warming concerns, has run newspaper ads this summer in both Republican and Democratic congressional districts, thanking lawmakers for at least acknowledging the problem. 

The influential environmental group is spreading the love on both sides of the aisle to build bipartisan support for economically practical legislation to curb domestic carbon output. 

In particular, the group is reaching out to moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats whose support would be essential to approve comprehensive clean-air measures that cut carbon output without squeezing pre-existing industries or significantly boosting the cost of fossil fuels. 

In July, the group ran ads in 43 newspapers to thank 43 Republican House members. They ran additional ads in 14 other newspapers on behalf of seven mostly conservative Democrats. 

One ad in The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune says, "Ginny Brown-Waite, Vern Buchanan and Kathy Castor Get It," above a picture of a globe in a frying pan. 

The ad goes on to thank Democrat Castor as well as Brown-Waite and Buchanan, both Republicans, for voting against an amendment offered to an environmental spending bill by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) to strip language pledging to "slow or stop" the output of greenhouses gases that are responsible for global warming.