It’s report card time again for Congress, and
Western politicians are seeing more Fs than As. According to the
League of Conservation Voters’ annual National Environmental
Scorecard, Western congressional members had some of the worst
environmental voting records in the nation. Out of a possible score
of 100, the senators of Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming averaged
under eight. Montana’s Rep. Dennis Rehberg earned a zero,
earning his state the lowest rating in the House.
The
Democrats saved a few states from total failure. Class stars Sen.
Harry Reid of Nevada and Rep. Tom Udall of New Mexico both scored
over 90, and Colorado’s Representatives Mark Udall and Diana
DeGette each scored a perfect 100. California’s senators led
the West with an 88 average, and Oregon grabbed the top regional
average, 75, for the House.
Twenty-two conservation
organizations chose last year’s environmental topics, which
included drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, nuclear
waste disposal at Yucca Mountain, and increasing fuel efficiency in
automobiles.
To see how your representative or senator
scored, log onto www.lcv.org or order a printed copy of the
scorecard by calling 202/785-8683.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Does your representative make the grade?.
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