BOSTON, Mass. – Today, on Earth Day, the NRDC Action Fund announced its endorsement of Senator Ed Markey for re-election, citing him as one of the nation's most consequential and forward-thinking climate legislators in the Senate. The action fund is the political arm of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“On Earth Day, we are proud to endorse Ed Markey. He has been a fighter for our planet and for confronting the climate crisis we are living through,” said Jed Ober, managing director of the NRDC Action Fund. “Senator Markey is a proven climate leader in the legislation he has written, advocated for, and passed into law. He has been a champion for creating new climate jobs – union jobs for the middle class – for the clean air we breathe, for safe drinking water in every community, and for defending our public lands and wildlife. Ed Markey fights for healthy and safe communities, and we need him back in the Senate to keep up that fight.”

Senator Markey has been a champion on every front of the climate crisis. Senator Markey is fighting for a comprehensive approach: holding polluters accountable, cleaning up the air and water, protecting public lands, and investing in climate resilience.

Senator Markey is lowering household energy bills with renewable power, and making sure good-paying union jobs and environmental justice are central to the clean energy future. And on the eve of Earth Day, Senator Markey introduced a slate of climate legislation that protect Americans at every stage of life from the climate crisis.

“The planet is running a fever, and there are no emergency rooms for planets,” said Senator Ed Markey. “From co-authoring the Green New Deal to getting offshore wind manufacturing tax credits passed into law through the Inflation Reduction Act and getting Vineyard Wind 1 across to the finish line, I have spent my career writing climate priorities into law – and defending it when Donald Trump and Big Oil come for it. I am proud to earn the NRDC Action Fund's endorsement and the fight for clean and healthy communities is one I will never stop leading in.”

The NRDC Action Fund's support of Senator Markey builds on endorsements from other environmental advocacy groups, including the League of Conservation Voters and the Sunrise Movement.

• The Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act: A pillar of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, this bill creates a federal grant program to mitigate extreme heat, air pollution, and other climate risks for pregnant and postpartum people and infants, with a focus on communities of color.
• The Climate Change Education Act: Establishes a Climate Change Education Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, authorizing $50 million per year in grants to schools, colleges, and youth corps, with 40 percent of higher education and youth corps funding directed to environmental justice communities.
• The Youth Climate Leadership Act: Restores the National Environmental Youth Advisory Council at the Environmental Protection Agency and creates new youth advisory councils at the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and Interior, ensuring young people have a seat at the federal table on climate and environmental justice.
• The Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act: Provides hazard pay of up to $25,000 a year, personal protective equipment, and safer transportation for essential health care workers who care for patients through emergencies and disaster declaration
• The Survival Aid for Emergencies (SAFE) Through Medicare Act: Requires Medicare to cover 100 percent of the cost of home resiliency equipment – including air conditioners, refrigerators, generators, and solar batteries – for seniors and people with disabilities who are medically at-risk in a climate disaster.
• The Home Modifications for the Climate Crisis Act: Clarifies that Older Americans Act home-modification funding can cover heating, cooling, air quality, and energy-efficiency upgrades so seniors can safely age in place as the climate crisis worsens.