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LCV RELEASES 2008 FEDERAL SCORECARD

Senator Ben Nelson scores 91%

WASHINGTON, D.C. –The League of Conservation Voters released the 2008 National Environmental Scorecard. For 30 years, the non-partisan LCV Scorecard has been the nationally accepted yardstick used to rate Members of Congress on conservation and energy issues.
 
Senator E. Ben Nelson demonstrated his commitment to natural resources at the head of the class, earning a 91% score. “Senator Nelson has been a leader for Nebraskans on these issues since his first term as Governor,” said Mary Harding, executive director of the Nebraska League.   The Nebraska League will recognize Senator Nelson at a reception in Lincoln on October 30 for his distinguished record on conservation, especially noting his work on the Platte River Recovery program this year.

Like too many others in Congress, the remainder of Nebraska’s representatives tended to favor continued dependence on oil and other dirty fossil fuels over renewable energy and efficiency.  With the exception of Senator Nelson, Nebraska's delegation received disappointing scores of less than 50% across the board, voting in favor of the failed energy policies of the past and against renewable energy.  While Nebraska’s senators and representatives had numerous opportunities to support clean energy, the majority of the delegation consistently sided with Big Oil.  

Harding expressed special disappointment in 2^nd Congressional District Representative Lee Terry’s score of 15%, saying he was obviously out of touch with the voters of the metro Omaha area.  “We certainly feel that we deserve better advocacy when energy and the environment are top concerns in our community today.”

Nebraska delegation 2008 scores:                   Full Scorecard Available at www.lcv.org

Rep. Fortenberry (R): 46%                                 Sen. Hagel (R): 9%
Rep. Terry (R): 15%                                             Sen. Nelson (D): 91%
Rep. Smith (R): 8%

LCV President Gene Karpinski announced the release of LCV’s 2008 National Environmental Scorecard today, saying: “This Scorecard reflects more clearly than perhaps ever before that America is truly at a crossroads when it comes to our energy future. In the face of gas prices that shot above four dollars a gallon, unrest around the world, and increasing global warming pollution, it could not be more obvious that we must reduce our dependence on oil, yet in 2008, Congress went in the wrong direction.”  

The 2008 Scorecard includes 11 Senate and 13 House votes dominated by energy but also encompassing other environmental issues.  This year, 67 House members and 27 senators earned a perfect 100 percent score, which is significantly higher than the 33 House members and 3 senators who earned a 100 percent in 2007.  This year, 70 House members and 2 senators earned an appalling score of zero, compared with 48 house members and 9 senators in 2007.  
 
The average House score in 2008 was 56 percent, and the average senate score was 57 percent, which is slightly higher than the 53 percent House and 52 percent Senate averages in 2007. California, Connecticut, Michigan, Montana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin all had perfect Senate averages of 100 percent, while Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and South Carolina’s senators averaged just 9 percent.  In the House, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, and Maryland all averaged above 90 percent, while Montana and Wyoming were both below ten percent.