Massachusetts Delegates Score Big with the Environment
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 – The Massachusetts congressional delegation ranked second in the nation in an environmental scorecard released Tuesday by the League of Conservation Voters. The delegation from Rhode Island was the only one to score higher.
The 2005 National Environmental Scorecard rates members of Congress on key votes involving issues such as energy, biodiversity, public health and environmental spending.
Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) both scored 95 percent on the league’s scorecard.
Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Lowell) scored 94 percent while Reps. John F. Tierney (D- Salem), James P. McGovern (D-Worcester) and Edward J. Markey (D-Medford) all scored 100 percent. The national average score for all members of the House was 45 percent, which was also the average score for all senators.
“I am honored by the League of Conservation Voters’ high marks for my voting record,” Meehan said in a statement. “One of the most enduring gifts we can give to our children and grandchildren is cleaner water and air and the conservation of precious parks and lands. We must safeguard these environmental treasures for future generations.”
Lora Wondolowski, executive director of the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, said Meehan has always been a leader on environmental issues.
“Meehan makes the blueprint for doing the right thing by helping to pass bills that greatly affect the Massachusetts environment. We urge him to continue on this path because the work he does at the federal level draws support at the state level,” said Wondolowski.
The league uses the scorecard to give the public information on how their officials voted on key environmental issues.
“In a year when elected officials in Washington were given numerous opportunities to cast votes on issues vital to our energy future as well as clean air, clean water and key conservation initiatives, the 2005 National Environmental Scorecard offers a clear-eyed look at just where our members of Congress stand,” Tiernan Sittenfeld, the league’s legislative director, said in a statement.
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