By Christina Gongaware, Contributing Writer

The Common Sense Movement, a pro-gas and oil development group, is hitting back against radio ads by the League of Conservation Voters that aired against Reps. Lou Barletta (R-Luzerne) and Jason Altmire (D-Allegheny).

PoliticsPA reported on the ads from the League of Conservation asserting that the limits would put children at risk by exposing them to dangerous levels of mercury. The Common Sense Movement says the group is favoring fear over facts, and is airing its own ads to say as much.

“Extreme environmental groups want you to believe that we must give the EPA more control or the world will end. Nonsense!” says the female narrator, dismissively. “We can have a clean environment and affordable energy.”

Listen to the complete ads here.

“Friends of common sense energy and economic policies in Congress, in both parties, such as Congressman Jason Altmire and Congressman Lou Barletta, need to know that a majority of their new constituents are behind them — and the majority will not stay silent any longer,” said Field Director for the Common Sense Movement Alissa Shawl in a press release yesterday.

Their ads further stress that a clean environment and affordable energy are not mutually exclusive, and that the EPA has already determined that there is no risk to human health from power plant mercury emissions. They call the regulations that Altmire and Barletta oppose as “job-crushing.”

The Common Sense Movement describes itself as “a group of individuals and businesses committed to ensuring the vitality of the nation’s coal and natural gas industries,” and asserts that it is “committed to protecting the jobs and ensuring the vitality of the coal and natural gas industries.” It is composed of individuals as well as several energy and drilling companies, including a range of Marcellus shale gas development and coal companies that do business in Pennsylvania. The group also inlcudes the Pittsburgh Regional Building Trades Council.

Altmire has generally had a conservative viewpoint on environmental issues, and with Rep. Mark Critz (D-Cambria) formed a special caucus on issues surrounding the Marcellus Shale. The purpose of the group is “to dispel any of the myths or untruths that are being talked about,” including the environmental impact of the drilling. He also opposed cap and trade legislation and voted against the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

“From the very beginning of this debate, I made it clear that cap and trade is bad policy. Moving forward, I will continue to focus on expanding domestic energy production in a way that will create jobs, lower energy costs and help make America energy independent,” Altmire said at the time.

Keegan Gibson contributed to this report.