Environmental scorecards, released yesterday by the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) show significant differences between presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain, all three of whom tout their environmental credentials.
The scorecards, which rank individual U.S. legislators based on their votes on environmental issues, focused on 15 votes this year–all of which senator McCain missed, resulting in a 0% score.
Presidential candidates historically suffer from absenteeism, due to busy campaign schedules that keep them away from Washington. However, Obama and Clinton both missed only 4 environmental votes, and received scores of 67% and 73% respectively.
McCain’s lifetime average, as scored by LCV, is 24%, far below Obama’s 86% lifetime average and Clinton’s 87% lifetime average.
Of the 15 missed votes, McCain received harshest criticism from environmental groups earlier in the year for missing a vote that failed by only one "yes" to advance legislation that would have created tax incentives for renewable energy while repealing tax breaks for big oil and gas companies.
Commenting on Congress-wide scores, LCV President Gene Karpinski said 2007’s scorecard shows that last year "marked a turning point for the environment" highlighted by the passage of an energy bill raising vehicle fuel efficiency, which he attributed to new leadership in both the U.S. House and Senate.
He noted that 71 out of the 89 candidates (80%) endorsed by the LCV in 2006 won, and said "electing pro-environment candidates is a critical first step toward enacting sound environmental policies that will protect our planet and our future."
"Elections have consequences," Karpinski said, noting that LCV’s 2006 campaigns helped defeat 9 out of 13 of LCV’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ legislators. who had a combined average lifetime score of just 8%, while the new members who defeated them have a combined average score of 88%.
In 2008 the LCV said it will urge Congress to pass legislation reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15-20% by 2020 and by 80% by 2050.
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