Democratic congressional hopeful Nate Shinagawa today received the endorsement of “Avengers” star Mark Ruffalo and the environmental group Sierra Club, with both citing the candidate’s opposition to hydrofracking.

Shinagawa faces freshman Rep. Tom Reed this fall.

“It seemed natural for me to back a candidate who has taken the right stance on environmental issues and is up against an opponent who heads the pro-fracking movement in Congress,” Ruffalo said in a statement. “Nate’s opponent is running a campaign funded with hundreds of thousands of dollars from the natural gas industry, with little to no concern about the beauty and preservation of our land and water.”

In addition to being a movie star, Ruffalo is an ardent environmental advocate who is opposed to hydrofracking, the controversial natrual gas extraction process that the state is currently studying the health effects of before deciding whether to allow high-volume fracking in parts of upstate.

Ruffalo has made multiple appearances here at the Capitol in Albany to add some star power to anti-fracking demonstrations. As far as I can tell, this is Ruffalo’s first endorsement in a New York Congressional race this fall, if any race ever.

The House district includes the Southern Tier, where natural gas deposits are believed to be especially rich. Energy companies have pointed to allowing hydrofracking as a way of growing jobs in the economically troubled area.

“There are so many threats to the natural resources of our region. We need someone in Congress will work to protect and coexist with our environment, not exploit it. I am very excited and honored to have Mark Ruffalo and the Sierra Club backing my campaign. I think we will be a great team to take on the corporate interests behind the pro-fracking lobby,” Shinagawa said.

Share|