This past week saw the publication of the League of Conservation Voters latest National Environmental Scorecard for the first session of the 110th Congress of the United States. The Scorecard is an annual measure of lawmakers’ votes on environmental issues, required reading for any environmentalist who aspires to be an informed voter. While it's interesting to check in on how the presidential candidates scored,
The presidential candidates' scores all suffered from the occupational hazard of absenteeism. Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and BarackObama (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
what I really want to highlight here is the importance of getting environmentally aware and active candidates into both houses of Congress, but most especially into the Senate. Right now, here in New Mexico, we have the Platonic Ideal of a senatorial election that illustrates the necessity of replacing the current Republican warhorse friends and supporters of Old Energy, oil, coal, gas, mining, with a better breed of lawmaker willing to work and fight for new clean sources of energy, one dedicated to protecting the environment and conserving public lands instead of exploiting them.
Pete Domenici (R/NM) is leaving office this year due to a progressive illness, and all three of our state representatives are running for his open seat. Using the LCV Scorecard to check on all of these folks' voting records, we find that we won't be sad to see Domenici, whose 2007 vote rating is 20% (and far lower during previous sessions) leave the Senate. Two of the reps running for his seat are Republicans: Steve Pearce, score 0%, and Heather Wilson, score 15%, both big promoters of polluting industries. And then there's Tom Udall. Tom is a Democrat representing New Mexico's Third Congressional District, whose current environmental voting score is a perfect 100%, and whose previous years' scores have been consistently in the 90's or at 100%. Tom is Stewart Udall's son, Mo Udall's nephew, and he is carrying on the heritage of his great Western Democratic political family. It's a no-brainer that getting Udall into Domenici's Senate seat (and his cousin Mark Udall into Wayne Allard's Colorado seat) would help continue and, better yet, improve, the kind of legislative progress referred to in the LCV's Scorecard Overview.
While national attention is riveted on the three ring circus of the race for presidential nominees, we all need to focus some steady attention on congressional candidates who will turn both House and Senate into legislative bodies that will work with a Democratic president to change this ship of state's direction. I'm convinced that in Tom Udall I have found a local candidate for whom I can happily volunteer my time and effort in this election cycle.
P.S. Last night as I was getting ready to publish this post, I discovered via Democracy for New Mexico that the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund has endorsed Tom Udall's run for the Senate, and will be targeting New Mexico in the 2008 elections. This is the group that largely helped defeat my old friend Richard Pombo (Determined and Dangerous and More on Richard Pombo) in California in 2006. Having them working here to build a strong grassroots campaign to get Udall elected, as well as to fill at least one of the three open NM House seats with a pro-environment candidate, will go a long way toward ensuring a big environmental and conservation victory in this state.
This past week saw the publication of the League of Conservation Voters latest National Environmental Scorecard for the first session of the 110th Congress of the United States. The Scorecard is an annual measure of lawmakers’ votes on environmental issues, required reading for any environmentalist who aspires to be an informed voter. While it's interesting to check in on how the presidential candidates scored,
