Rafael DeGennaro, founder of American Earth and IndieCitizen, has worked on environmental policy as staff to members of Congress and as project director for Friends of the Earth. Later he led Taxpayers for Common Sense to work in coalition with hundreds of environmental organizations at the local, state, and national levels. He has been a registered political independent since 1995.
About Rafael DeGennaro’s environmental work
Rafael DeGennaro started his career as staff to maverick Democratic Congressmen Bob Edgar (D-PA) and Berkley Bedell (D-IA). Both congressmen were fearless leaders challenging Democratic committee chairmen over wasteful dams and water projects. For Bedell, DeGennaro was responsible for issues pertaining to the environment, energy, transportation and public works. Among other work, DeGennaro staffed Bedell’s floor amendments and legislation opposing wasteful irrigation subsidies.
During 1990-1995, DeGennaro directed the Appropriations Project at Friends of the Earth* (FOE) and was the lead overall federal budget analyst for the national environmental movement. In 1993, DeGennaro was lead author of FOE’s Earth Budget report, a first-ever 200-page comprehensive survey of federal spending on the environment. He presented the report to Vice President Al Gore on federal budget day.
In January 1995, DeGennaro was coalition coordinator and lead author of the groundbreaking and nationally acclaimed Green Scissors* report. Endorsed by an odd-bedfellows coalition of environmental and taxpayer organizations, the Green Scissors report recommended cutting federal spending and subsidy programs that both harmed the environment and wasted taxpayer money.DeGennaro at Everest Base Camp, Nepal. (Base camp is the bottom of the mountain.) Photo: (c) Rafael DeGennaro (CC0 Public Domain)
In his personal capacity, he served during the early 1990s on the Political Advisory Committee of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV)*, the political arm of the national environmental movement. He helped recruit a former Republican congressman to serve on the LCV Board of Directors.
During 1995-2001, DeGennaro was cofounder and President of Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS)*, a centrist taxpayer group that opposes wasteful spending and subsidies. Taxpayers for Common Sense became the taxpayer partner in the Green Scissors coalition led by Friends of the Earth. TCS worked closely with hundreds of national and grassroots environmental organizations on a huge variety of issues. Also, DeGennaro authored a report for TCS titled Blank Check, which argued that radical proposals to pay compensation for regulatory takings would be a blank check from taxpayers to polluters.
DeGennaro enjoys the outdoors and has backpacked or trekked in New England, California, Turkey and New Zealand. In 2002, he trekked to Everest Base Camp in Nepal (the bottom of the mountain). In 2025 he trekked the Camino Portugues and Nepal’s Manaslu Circuit. He is also an accomplished offshore sailor.
*DeGennaro has no current or recent affiliation with Friends of the Earth, Taxpayers for Common Sense, or the League of Conservation Voters. None of those organizations have any affiliation with, and do not endorse, American Earth or IndieCitizen. Green Scissors is a registered trademark of Friends of the Earth.