Oil spill surfaces in political campaign

Two environmental groups are using the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to challenge politicians they oppose.

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) on Thursday called on Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) to return campaign contributions from BP, which leased the drilling rig that exploded and sank last month, triggering the release of about 5,000 barrels a day of crude.

“It would be highly irresponsible and inappropriate for Senator Lincoln to continue to finance her campaign in these final days before the primary with BP’s tainted oil money,” said Tony Massaro, LCV’s vice president for political affairs.

Meanwhile, Friends of the Earth(FoE) released a television ad that replays Sarah Palin and Michael Steele’s calls to “Drill, baby, drill,” interspersed with scenes of environmental damage caused by oil spills.

“The oil catastrophe in the Gulf should serve as a wake-up call,” FoE President Erich Pica said in a statement.

Nick Berning, a spokesman for FoE, said the ads were being run on cable news channels. He declined to say how long the campaign would run or how much it would cost.

The League of Conservation Voters had already named Lincoln to its “dirty dozen” list for what it sees as a poor voting record on environmental issues. The group is supporting Lincoln’s primary opponent, Bill Halter.

According to the group, Lincoln has received $12,000 from BP’s PAC since the 2001-02 election cycle.