News Article

Reprint courtesy of

September 29, 2004

Rebecca Otto endorsed by

Minn. League of Conservation Voters

By KRIS JANISCH

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota League of Conservation Voters (MNLCV) recently announced its endorsement of May Township DFL Rep. Rebecca Otto in House District 52B.

Otto was one of seven DFL candidates endorsed by the St. Paul-based organization. Six Republican candidates from across the state also earned
endorsements from the group.
 

“Rebecca recognizes that preserving and restoring habitat is important
to all who enjoy hunting and fishing,” said Paul Austin, MNLCV executive
director. “Her leadership is instrumental in preserving a way of life that
we value as Minnesotans.”
 

MNLCV is a non-partisan organization whose stated mission is to help
election candidates “who are committed to protecting our pure, fresh water,
green spaces, woods and the wildlife that makes Minnesota so special.”
Minnesota should reduce its dependence on coal and nuclear energy, Otto
said on her Web site, www.rebeccaotto.us. She also supports initiatives that
identify and utilize more sustainable sources of power.
 

“We can do better, and begin to tap more into wind power,” she said.
“Wind power is now cost competitive with coal, and we need to begin to
transition to it in order to preserve our rich recreational and fishing
opportunities for the coming decades.”
 

Otto’s opponent, Dellwood Republican Matt Dean, also touts his support
for environmental preservation efforts. He supports protecting and expanding
Minnesota’s wildlife habitat and would “dedicate funds strictly for the
environment,” according to his Web site, www.mattdean.org.
“If elected, I will work hard to continue the work of Mark Holsten on
habitat protection, wildlife management and other critical conservation
issues,” Dean said this morning, referencing the former District 52B
representative, who resigned his seat last year to take a position in the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
 

In a press release received later this morning, Dean reiterated his
positions on the environment, including support of a bill that’s been
proposed in the House that would direct a portion of each penny raised in
sales tax toward environmental efforts.
 

“The bill redirects three-sixths of one percent of sales taxes revenue
to the DNR to improve, enhance and protect the state's fish, wildlife and
habitat,” Dean said.
 

Otto’s own lifestyle reflects the endorsement. She drives a hybrid
gasoline-electric car and built a home with a wind generator which produces
80 percent of the household’s power.
 

“Rebecca isn’t about talk and promises,” Austin said. “She practices
what she preaches. That says a lot about her character and why she can be
trusted as a representative. ”
 

Otto, who was first elected in a February 2003 special election, serves
on the Environment and Natural Resources Policy Committee.
 

For more information on MNLCV visit its Web site at www.mnlcv.org.