The following is a press Release we issued following the release of the League of Conservation Voters release of the National Scorecard.
Boston, MA – Today, the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters joined the national League of Conservation Voters in releasing the 2010 National Environmental Scorecard, revealing scores for the Massachusetts delegation in the second session of the 111th Congress.
With Congressman Mike Capuano on the phone conference from Washington DC as the groups released the report, Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters (MLEV) Executive Director Lora Wondolowski said that the environmental leadership of the delegation is more important now than ever. The 2010 Scorecard was released amidst the greatest attack on the EPA’s budget in 30 years and current assaults on the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and wildlife protections in Congress.
“We applaud those members of the MA delegation who fought in 2010 to protect public health and the environment and reduce our nation’s dangerous dependence on oil, especially Senator John Kerry and Congressman Ed Markey,” said MLEV’s Executive Director Lora Wondolowski. “The 2010 Scorecard clearly exposes Senator Scott Brown for his willingness to put corporate polluters and other special interests ahead of the health and well-being of Massachusetts residents.”
The 2010 Scorecard includes 6 Senate and 9 House votes on issues ranging from clean energy to public health protections to wildlife conservation. Given the disastrous impact of the resolution offered by Senator Murkowski (R-AK), LCV double scored the vote on her bill, which would have blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from moving forward with commonsense steps to reduce dangerous carbon pollution. Additionally, LCV took the unusual step of scoring co-sponsorship of Dirty Air Act legislation in the House. These steps bring the Senate total to 7 and the House total to 10. In MA, 7 House members earned a perfect 100 percent score in 2010, while Senator Brown earned an abysmal 0 percent. The average House score in 2010 for MA was 93 percent, one of the highest averages in the nation, and the average Senate score was 43 percent.
“Unfortunately, the most important votes of 2010 are the ones that didn’t happen: the Senate failed to even begin debate on a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill and also failed to respond to the greatest environmental disaster in our nation’s history – the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “The 2010 National Environmental Scorecard clearly illustrates that there is much work to be done, and LCV will be there at every step of the way in 2011 and beyond, working to protect the environment and public health while transitioning our nation to a clean energy economy.”
Every MA Representative, with the exception of Delahunt who did not vote, voted for the CLEAR Act to respond to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Senator Brown voted for Senator Murkowski’s Dirty Air Act resolution, while Senator Kerry was a leading voice in the effort to kill the amendment. Disappointingly, the Senate failed to act on oil spill relief legislation, including a bill sponsored by Senator Brown.
“I have worked hard in Congress to advance legislation that protects public health, preserves our precious resources, and reduces our dependence on fossil fuels. We will have to work harder than ever make progress this year but I am committed to doing everything I can and I thank the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters for all the work they do to protect our environment” said Congressman Mike Capuano (MA-8).
Scores for the MA Delegation:
Senator John Kerry: 86
Senator Scott Brown: 0
Representative John Olver: 100
Representative Richard Neal: 100
Representative Jim McGovern: 100
Representative Barney Frank: 80
Representative Niki Tsongas: 100
Representative John Tierney: 90
Representative Ed Markey: 100
Representative Mike Capuano: 100
Representative Steve Lynch: 100
Representative Bill Delahunt: 60
For 40 years, the National Environmental Scorecard issued by LCV has been the nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental, public health and energy issues.
The full 2010 National Environmental Scorecard can be found at www.lcv.org/scorecard
