WASHINGTON, D.C. – The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and the Conservation Minnesota Voter Center, LCV’s state affiliate, applaud lawmakers for their work during the first session of the 110th Congress to move America toward a clean energy future and to prepare for the challenge of addressing global warming.

LCV President Gene Karpinski said LCV’s 2007 National Environmental Scorecard, released today and available at www.lcv.org/scorecard, shows that last year “marked a turning point for the environment, and proved that electing pro-environment candidates is a critical first step toward enacting sound environmental policies that will protect our planet and our future.”

The executive director of the Conservation Minnesota Voter Center, Paul Austin, said the scorecard gives Minnesota voters the information they need to make wise conservation choices in the 2008 elections.

“Minnesotans who want to find out how our U.S. Senators and their own Congressman or Congresswoman voted can find out by going on-line at mnvotercenter.org and review the new scorecard,” Austin said.

“The progress of 2007, including passage of the first increase in fuel efficiency standards for automobiles in a generation, was largely due to new leadership in both the House and the Senate, and to the many new members who came to Congress determined to bring about a clean energy future,” Karpinski said.

“Seventy-one out of the 89 candidates LCV endorsed in 2006 (80 percent) won,” he said. “Elections have consequences, and LCV’s success in helping elect pro-environment candidates already has reaped environmental policy results. We are delighted that not only do the LCV-endorsed new members have an impressive average score of 87 percent, but many of them also championed key legislative priorities.”

Minnesota Members

“Here in Minnesota, LCV applauds Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-3rd) for scoring an impressive 95 percent, in stark contrast to fellow Republican Reps. John Kline (R-2nd) and Michele Bachmann (R-6th), each of whom scored zero,” Karpinski said. “Democratic House members scored well overall, with Rep. Keith Ellison (D-5th) earning a perfect 100 percent score. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-4th) earned a 95 percent score, while Rep. Tim Walz (D-1st) scored 85 percent. In the Senate, Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) scored 87 percent, compared with her colleague Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), who scored only 33 percent.”

New Members Who Defeated ‘Dirty Dozen’ Score High

“Our 2006 campaigns also helped defeat 9 out of 13 of LCV’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ members, who had a combined average lifetime score of just 8 percent, while the new members who replaced them have a combined average score of 88 percent,” Karpinski said.

The “Dirty Dozen” program targets members of Congress, regardless of party affiliation, who consistently vote against the environment and are running in races where LCV has a serious chance of affecting the outcome. In 2006, LCV’s “Dirty Dozen” included Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) and Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), both of whom were defeated after consistently siding with oil interests instead of the people they were elected to represent. While Pombo’s LCV lifetime score was 7 percent, his replacement, Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA), scored 90 percent. Burns, whose lifetime score was 5 percent, has now been replaced by Sen. John Tester (D-MT), who scored 80 percent.

Scorecard Highlights

The Scorecard, an annual measure of lawmakers’ votes on environmental issues, highlights:

•    The passage of H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act. The law raises overall fuel economy of cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon – the first increase since 1975. This will save more than 1.1 million barrels of oil per day and significantly reduce global warming pollution.

•    The rejection of failed policies of the past, including plans to increase offshore drilling and promote the production of liquid coal to fuel automobiles. (This fuel would contain twice the global warming pollution of conventional gasoline.)

•    The adoption of a Sense of the Congress resolution calling for mandatory limits on global warming pollution and the approval of a National Intelligence Estimate to deal with the security implications of climate change.

Presidential Candidates’ Scores

•    The presidential candidates' scores all suffered from the occupational hazard of absenteeism. Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) missed four votes each in 2007, although both made a point of being on hand for the key vote that would have allowed a version of the energy bill to move forward that included a provision to repeal billions of dollars in tax breaks for big oil and put that money toward clean energy programs. Clinton’s score in 2007 was 73 percent (87 percent lifetime); Obama’s was 67 percent (86 percent lifetime).
•    Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) scored 0 percent in 2007 (24 percent lifetime) due to missing all 15 votes scored, including the key vote on repealing tax giveaways to big oil – a measure that failed by only one vote.
 
“As we begin the second half of the 110th Congress, we realize we still have a long way to go. But we have high hopes that lawmakers will build on the progress of 2007,” said LCV Legislative Director Tiernan Sittenfeld. “Most important, they must heed the warnings of the world’s leading climate scientists who say we have a very short window in which to avert the catastrophic effects of global warming.

“This year, LCV urges Congress to pass legislation reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15-20 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050. Our future depends on it, and LCV will continue to work hard to educate the public on which lawmakers are helping us achieve those goals.”

2007 MINNESOTA AVERAGES
Senate                60
House               64

2007 SENATE SCORES
Coleman (R)            33
Klobuchar (D)            87

2007 HOUSE MEMBER SCORES
Walz (D)                85
Kline (R)                  0
Ramstad (R)            95
McCollum (D)            95
Ellison (D)              100
Bachmann (R)              0
Peterson, C. (D)           60
Oberstar (D)             75


LCV, the nation’s independent voice for the environment, engages in public education, lobbying and accountability to turn environmental values into public policy.  LCV has made global warming and America’s energy future a central focus of its activities in Congress and in the 2008 election cycle.