Oh yes, they did.
Columbia River keepers ,apparently ,very actively participated in the recent recall election. It doesn't come as any surprise considering River keepers involvement in the LNG issue but the problem for the non-profit environmental organization is that 501 (c)3 non-profits are strictly prohibited from participating in political campaigns of any kind. An article on the local news website NCO reveals an email exchange between local river keeper staffer Olivia Schmidt and the organization's head guy Brett VandenHeuvel following the Hazen/Samuelson recall election where Olivia is seeking advice about how to word a news release so that it doesn't look as though anti-LNG forces completely failed to make their point with a recall campaign that was clearly a loss for them.
An independent organization that supports the energy industry has called for Columbia River keeper's board of directors to review the actions of it's staff and volunteers to determine if there was a violation of the prohibition against non-profits getting involved in any political campaign. VandenHeuvel had, during the course of the campaign, sent a message to former Commissioner Samuelson to "clear up a rumor" that his organization was involved in the recall in any way. These emails between Olivia and VandenHeuvel seem to conflict with his statements.
It's sad to see Columbia River keeper in this situation. The organization is a major player in serious waterway clean-up efforts and as such has garnered huge donations for that work. It may well be that a handful of individuals have placed this organization in considerable jeopardy.
Comment here: http://webfoot.womf.com/83447/On-The-RecallLNG-Front
