To the Editor:

With the upcoming November elections, it is vital for us all to make informed decisions when voting for congressional representatives. As Elise Stefanik runs for her sixth term as Congresswoman, I hope all members of the 21st district will look at her previous track record and decide if Stefanik continues to keep the values of Northern New Yorkers at heart in her votes. As someone who grew up spending time in the St. Lawrence Valley and the Adirondacks, I learned the intrinsic value of wilderness preservation. If  you too hold this value, don’t vote for Stefanik.  

Looking back on her votes in the 118th Congress, Stefanik voted against the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This legislation did pass, increasing funding for conservation projects, land restoration, and forest management. Its emission reduction standards will decrease the acid rain which threatens aquatic and riparian ecosystems in our region. Her vote against the IRA demonstrates Stefanik’s anti-environment voting pattern. 

Stefanik voted to decrease funding to environmental agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service. Her pro-fossil fuel energy stance greatly impacts public land use. While New York does not have public land, the North Country is directly impacted by laws that slow the transition to renewable energy and increase pollution. We will directly experience these impacts through warmer winters, invasive species, lake warming, and forest stress. Stefanik’s website calls her district "the largest and most diverse ecosystem in New York State” while her votes directly threaten its safety. 

The St. Lawrence Valley and Adirondack Park are under threat. If you believe in protecting the ecosystem that sustains the North Country, vote for a Representative who shows this support through actions.  

Dharma Crabtree
Canton
student at Skidmore College