According to the Hill, the League of Conservation Voters has announced its yearly rankings of lawmakers with the best and worst voting records in terms of energy and environmental measures. The league analyzed 11 votes in the Senate and 35 in the House of Representatives.
Overall, 24 representatives and 31 senators received a 100 percent score, while 13 senators and four representatives received 0 percent score. Here are some of the highest scoring and lowest scoring lawmakers and details on their recent environmental track records.
Highest Scoring
* Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. One of Sen. Nelson's biggest environmental accomplishments was leading Senate opposition to four bills that sought to weaken the Clean Air Act, reported the Environmental Defense Fund. He also tackled one of the biggest environmental disasters in U.S. history, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, by fighting to obtain video from the oil company so that other scientists could calculate the flow of oil, noted the Tampa Bay Times. After obtaining thousands of hours of videos, the senator sent the videos to researchers and scientists, and even posted clips online, in order to get a more accurate estimate of the devastating spill.
* Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash. Though he announced he intentions to run as a candidate for Washington's next governor, Rep. Inslee has continued to back clean energy initiatives in Congress, according to the Examiner. Rep. Inslee has also voiced his concerns about climate change and his major congressional campaigns include restoring protections for national forests and limiting oil-tanker traffic in the Puget Sound. Additionally, he took on a major role at the House panel hearings on stripping the EPA of its greenhouse gas regulating powers, often citing the science behind global warming, reported the New York Times.
Lowest Scoring
* Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
He received one of the lowest scores possible from the LCV. The Huffington Post reported Sen. Grassley has stated he does not believe in human-induced global warming, noting that while some scientists are confident it is occurring, more scientists disagree. The Daily Iowagien also added the senator supported the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and criticized President Barack Obama for choosing "extreme environmentalism over job creation."
* Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. Even before her short run for presidential candidacy, she has voted on and sponsored bills that have sparked major concern from environmentalists. Rep. Bachmann co-sponsored a bill that would allow further oil and natural gas exploration in Alaska and another bill that would exempt oil and natural gas exploration, development and production on federal lands from state environmental control laws, according to the Political Guide. Another New York Times article reported that the representative has repeatedly called the EPA a "job-killer."
Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
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