Cyanide poisoning

Cindy Axne is campaigning on “tackling climate change” and “cleaning up our water” in Iowa. Yet a Washington Free Beacon report shows that Axne invested in multiple companies that are responsible for water contamination.

Axne’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment on her investments that are in direct conflict with what she says on the campaign trail. Where is she hiding, and more importantly what else is she hiding?

From the Free Beacon:

Democratic candidate Cindy Axne, who is running in Iowa’s competitive third congressional district, invested in mining companies that have been found to contaminate water around the world despite advocating for clean drinking water, her financial disclosure forms show.

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Axne has been campaigning off renewable energy and “tackling climate change” in Iowa to protect the environment.

“Climate change is real, and we are feeling the devastating effects. It’s already affecting America’s economy and it will only get worse if we don’t act,” Axne’s campaign website reads. “We have seen it first hand here in Iowa, with crippling droughts and floods putting our food supply and farmers’ livelihoods at stake. In Washington, Cindy will fight to protect our environment and invest in renewable energy.”

Axne has also called for protecting Iowa’s farms and rural communities, by cleaning up the local water supplies.

“Iowa can be the leader in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy,” the site states. “While Cindy was at the State of Iowa, she oversaw the Governor’s Agenda on Clean Energy and the Environment, helping bring the wind industry to scale in Iowa. In Congress, Cindy will fight to increase research and development in the areas of soil health, carbon sequestration and water quality to clean up our water, improve soil for better yields and create jobs in the process.”

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Despite Axne’s environmental beliefs, the Democratic candidate reported personal investments that are at odds with her platform on the campaign trail, her financial disclosure form shows.

Axne invested in Goldcorp Inc., a Canadian gold mining company headquartered in Vancouver, that was found to have released large amounts of arsenic, mercury, and lead into streams and groundwater through its extraction methods.

Villagers in Honduras, who were found to have “dangerous” levels of lead and arsenic in their blood, as well as non-governmental organizations accused Goldcorp of killing livestock and making people sick.

Barrick Gold, another Canadian company that appears on Axne’s financial disclosure forms, has mining operations in 10 countries including Argentina, where the company spilled cyanide into a river that provides clean drinking water for its residents.

Axne invests in Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, also a Canadian mining company. It was fined $50,000 in 2017 for a Canadian oil spill that ran into a lake and elevated the levels of metals in the water. Cyanide and ammonia were also found in tested samples from the lake.

Axne advocates for renewable energy but also has stakes in Evolution Petroleum Corporation, a Houston-based company that produces oil and gas reserves.

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Axne’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the investments.

You can read the full story here.