Thursday, Oct. 12, 2000 | 11:24 a.m.
State Sen. Jon Porter defended his environmental record Wednesday in the face of new criticism from the Sierra Club.
Porter, a Republican who is challenging Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley for Nevada's 1st Congressional District seat, has opposed several pro-environment initiatives supported by the Sierra Club, according to the organization.
The Sierra Club launched a television advertisement this week and posted a "voter guide" on it's Internet site that touts Berkley as a friend to the environment.
"It is important to know where Jon Porter and Shelley Berkley stand on sprawl, clean water, and clean air and other issues,"Sierra Club spokeswoman Jessica Hodge said in a statement.
According to the organization, Porter has opposed the Sierra Club position on four out of five issues, including clean air, clean water, public right to know and global warming. Berkley won praise from the Sierra Club on all five issues.
Both candidates received a thumb-up designation for the stance opposing nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain.
The Sierra Club based its position on how the candidates voted on bills, Berkley in the House and Porter in the state Senate.
Porter spokesman Chris Ferarri said Wednesday the Sierra Club's attack on Porter's environmental record is off base. In a 10-page detailed response, Porter's campaign defends his voting record on environmental issues, including his support last year of a bill described by the Sierra Club as a reduction in the water quality standards for large agricultural companies.
The bill was unanimously supported by the Assembly and Senate, according to Porter, as well as several state agencies. The bill helped Nevada regulators comply with federal clean water requirements, Porter said.
Ferarri described Porter as an "environmental champion" for Nevada and dismissed the Sierra Club attack as coming from a "fairly partisan organization."
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