As soon as the 105th Congress closed shop so members could go home to campaign, the League of Conservation Voters
released its annual scorecard.
The LCV is a nonprofit public watchdog organization consisting of more than nine million members of environmental
and conservation groups, with a stated goal "to hold Congress accountable on environmental issues."
Experts from about 30 environmental, conservation, and sportsmen's groups rate key legislative actions relating to
environmental issues.
The Senate's record of pro-environmental votes was 45 percent; that of the House, 47 percent.
"More than 80 percent of American voters consider themselves to be conservationists and want environmental protection
laws strengthened," LCV president Deb Callahan said in a press conference Oct. 14.
Yet more than half of the Congress votes against the environment more than half the time, she said. "They are listening to
those who fund their campaigns rather than listening to the voters. They have shown complete disregard for the public interest."
Campaign rhetoric is loaded with noble environmental sentiments, Callahan noted, but do voters know how their elected
officials actually follow through when they take action in the Senate or House? That is the purpose of the LCV Scorecard.
Georgia's senators voted in support of environmental legislation only 30 percent of the time: Sen. Max Cleland (D) had a
record of 60 percent, Sen. Paul Coverdell (R) 0 percent, the lowest score possible. So did 26 other U.S. Senate Republicans.
Issues rated included:
Weakening of land use protections, or "Takings"
Environmental funding priorities
Selling public lands
Tax breaks for mining on public land
Transferring public lands to a bombing range
Nevada nuclear waste dump
International family planning funding
Cleland voted favorably on all but the third, fourth, and fifth of those issues; Coverdell supported none of them.
Georgia congressmen averaged 27 percent pro-environmental votes.
Rep. Mac Collins of Dist.3, Fayette's representative, voted for the environment 14 percent of the time. Bob Barr,
Charles Norwood, and John Linder voted in favor 10 percent of the time; John Lewis and Cynthia McKinney voted in favor 83 percent
and 97 percent of the time, respectively.
Issues considered by the House included:
Weakening land use protections, or "Takings"
Logging in national forests
Protecting roadless areas in forests
Alaska logging roads
Alaska Wildlife Area road
Gulf of Mexico fisheries management
Fighting anti-environmental riders
Restricting new health and safety protection
Funding energy efficiency programs
The global warming gag rule
Undermining environmental reporting and information
Tropical forest conservation
Geographically, the Southeast had the second lowest environmental record; the Rocky Mountains and Southwest had the
lowest. Northeastern and West Coast congressional delegations had the most favorable environmental scores.
"The strongest leadership in Congress is anti-environment," Callahan said. "We simply cannot discount the roles that
money plays in politics and how much environmental issues are affected.
"The clash is between the voters and the special interest groups," she continued.
"People just don't know. We have never seen such an effort to roll back laws that protect the public."
Full details and more analysis are available at http://scorecard.lcv.org.
* * * * *
The Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club released a similar scorecard its first on the 1998 Georgia General Assembly.
The club's legislative chair, Mark Woodall, explained that the scorecard represents all recorded floor votes, "and there was no attempt
to trick anyone or be less than totally bi-partisan. Unfortunately Georgia doesn't record committee votes so that important area is
not evaluated here."
Woodall added, however: "The results are mixed. The legislature has defeated the worst of the anti-environmental bills such
as Takings, audit privilege, unfunded mandate and regulatory reform.
"On the other hand, the legislature has failed to act on serious problems such as air quality, sprawl or growth management,
and transportation."
Sen. Pam Glanton (R-34), who did not stand for re-election, scored pro-environment in 33 percent of state Senate votes.
Sen. Rick Price (R-28) voted favorably on 50 percent of environmental issues.
Senate average score was 55 percent; Democrats scored 61 percent, and Republicans 44 percent.
Senate issues included:
Dropping the proposed Outer Perimeter from the Road Improvement Program
Contracting with private firms to build toll roads and bridges
Extending land use protection to a much-impacted stretch of the Chattahoochee River
Protection of coastal aquifers from surface water
Protection of water supply of Cave Springs
Increase in real estate transfer tax to fund Heritage Trust (Amendment #1) to be decided by voters Nov. 3
Rep. Dan Lakly (R-105), who was defeated in the primary election, scored pro-environment in 33 percent of votes in
House issues, while Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-104) had a 25 percent record. The House average score was 65 percent, with
Democrats scoring 72 percent and Republicans scoring 55 percent.
House issues included:
Adding stricter standards for measuring air pollution
Reducing buffer zones on trout streams, gutting erosion control
Extending land use protection to a much-impacted stretch of the Chattahoochee River
Denying water pollution permits based on past violations
Provisions for privatization of Atlanta's sewer system
Billboards and tree-cutting
Protection of water supply of Cave Springs
Heritage Trust Fund (Amendment #1) to be decided by voters Nov. 3
Increase in transfer tax to fund Heritage Trust
The Sierra Club named 15 state representatives "heroes" (scores of 100 percent) and 15 "bad boys," (scores of 33 percent or
less). "You will notice both Dan Lakly and Lynn Westmoreland made the `bad boy' list," Woodall said.
Five state senators were named "heroes" (scores of 100 percent) and four were "bad boys," (scores of 20 percent or less).
Fayette senators did not appear on either list.
Woodall may be reached at 706-846-2281. The Sierra Club Web site is www.sierraclub.org:80/chapters/ga/, or direct e-mail
to georgiachapter@sierraclub.org.
