According to the League of Conservation Voters’ 1999
National Environmental Scorecard, over one-third of senators
received a zero percent score. Western delegates cast their votes
against the environment more often than their counterparts from
other regions. Eleven Western senators earned a big zilch,
including the entire delegations of Colorado, Idaho, Utah and
Wyoming. Of those, four plummeted to nil since the previous
Congress. But 10 Western representatives and three senators scored
a perfect 100. California senators led the West in high scores –
Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein averaged 95 percent. According
to the league, dismal environmental voting in 1999 was due to
special-interest money and anti-environmental riders to spending
bills – more than 20 on the House interior appropriations bill
alone. However, LCV scores have risen slightly since the 105th
Congress. The organization says that’s because of a narrowing
Republican majority in the House and high environmental voting from
freshmen Democrats.
Contact the League of
Conservation Voters, 1920 L St., NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC
20036, 202/785-8683, lcv@lcv.org, or visit
www.lcv.org.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Goose eggs in Congress.
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