The nation's oldest environmental organization on Monday announced it was throwing its considerable weight behind 29 "environmental champions" in the upcoming November elections. "Sierra Club's thousands of volunteers will be pounding the pavement, working the phone lines, and talking with their friends and neighbors to help get environmental champions elected," said Ken Brame, Chair of the Sierra Club Political Committee.

While it has endorsed 220 candidates and doled-out funds to 150 individual candidates for U.S. House and Senate, San Francisco-based Sierra Club said it will be deploying additional staff to help out on the ground in 29 key races.

"Voters want a clean energy future, and the Sierra Club is promoting candidates who are going to do the right thing to protect communities from pollution and move our country towards green energy,” said Brame.

In the Senate, the group will be working to help elect incumbents Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin. The group will also be working to elect Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, Rep. Paul Hodes of New Hampshire and Rep. Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania, who are all running for open Senate seats.

Candidates for the House of Representatives The Sierra Club will be backing are: John Spratt of South Carolina, Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, Jerry McNerney of California, Betsy Markey of Colorado, Alan Grayson of Florida, Ben Chandler of Kentucky, Mark Schauer of Michigan, Heath Shuler of North Carolina, Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire, Martin Heinrich and Harry Teague of New Mexico, Dina Titus of Nevada, Mary Jo Kilroy and John Boccieri of Ohio, Gerry Connolly and Tom Perriello of Virginia, and Rick Larsen of Washington.

The group will be also supporting state Rep. Bryan Lentz (D), who is running to replace Joe Sestak in the House, and former Washington state Rep. Denny Heck (D), who is running to replace Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), who is retiring at the end of this term.

"In many of these races, there is a clear choice between a candidate with a strong environmental record and a candidate who sides with polluters rather than with the public," said Brame.

E&E News (subscription req'd.) notes that The Sierra Club mistakenly announced it was sending campaign workers to aid Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.), but Moore is retiring, and his wife Stephene Moore is the Democratic nominee.

See the full list of 220 Sierra Club endorsements for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

Photo: Some rights reserved by The Sierra Club