Kirk loses backing of two environmental groups

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The Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters — both of which have endorsed Republican Rep. Mark Kirk in the past — will announce today they are endorsing his rival for Barack Obama’s old Senate seat, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias.

“Mark Kirk stood up to Big Oil when he stopped BP from polluting Lake Michigan,” Kirk boasts on his website. But the environmentalists say Kirk may be exaggerating a bit when he says “he stopped” BP.

“Virtually every politician in the state said they were spear-heading the effort to keep BP from dumping in Lake Michigan,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club of Illinois. In contrast to Sen. Dick Durbin, Mayor Daley and former Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who kept up sustained pressure against BP, “Kirk held a press conference and took a boat trip, but since that issue has faded from the headlines, we have not seen Kirk speaking out about BP’s choice to move to dirtier gas at the Indiana refinery or for Illinois cars” Darin said.

Both environmental groups endorsed Kirk over Democrat Dan Seals in the last few election cycles. Each has endorsed him over a Democratic rival three times.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/2366804,CST-NWS-kirk08.article