Frank, Kerry Receive Perfect Marks in Environmental Issues
LCV RANKINGS
The New Bedford Standard-Times
Courtney Hime
Boston University Washington News Service
October 22, 2008
Frank, Kerry receive perfect marks in environmental issues
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Barney Frank and U.S. Sen. John Kerry received perfect scores in the League of Conservation Voters annual congressional ranking for 2008.
The 2008 National Environmental Scorecard, released Oct. 17, provides a record of how members of Congress vote on key environmental bills. The League of Conservation Voters is a non- partisan organization that supports pro-environmental candidates.
This year, the organization identified 11 Senate and 13 House bills to use in tabulating the scorecard. Both Sen. Kerry and Rep. Frank voted with the league’s position on all of the bills. Last year Sen. Kerry scored 93 and Rep. Frank received 80.
All but one of the 10 House members from Massachusetts received a perfect score; Rep. William Delahunt (D-10th) received an 85 percent.
Rep. Frank said he was “very pleased” with the rating he received.
“I’m very proud of it and I think it shows we have a mutual understanding in the importance of conservation,” he said.
Josh McNeil, a spokesman for the League of Conservation Voters, said Rep Frank’s lifetime voting record of 92 percent was “one of the best in Congress.”
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy scored 36 percent, reflecting his absence for several environmental votes. In its tabulation of scores, the league counts an absent vote as a negative vote.
McNeil was quick to defend Sen. Kennedy’s score, pointing to his lifetime score of 82 percent as evidence of his support of environmental issues.
“He’s been a champion on our issues for a long, long time,” he said.
Sen. Kerry, who has a lifetime score of 96 percent, said in a press release last week that he was proud to receive his rating from the League of Conservation Voters and wanted to commend the league’s environmental efforts.
“LCV should be applauded for its work championing the protection of our environment,” he said. “Over the years we have worked together to stop drilling in the Arctic refuge, increase fuel efficiency of cars and trucks and reduce carbon emissions from power plants.”
McNeil said Massachusetts members of Congress have consistently received high marks on the scorecard.
“The entire Massachusetts delegation really leads the way on energy and environmental issues,” McNeil said.
Barney Keller, spokesman for the Massachusetts Republican Party, said the scores released by the League of Conservation Voters are not surprising because of the organizations’ public endorsement of Barack Obama for president.
“They’re running ads against John McCain,” he said. “For them to give 100 percent rating to another Democrat doesn’t really matter.”
In addition to its endorsement of several Democratic candidates, the League of Conservation Voters has thrown its support behind some Republican candidates. Of the nine senatorial candidates endorsed, one is Republican; of the 46 endorsed House candidates, 12 are Republicans.
The issues covered in the bills brought before the House and Senate range from clean energy tax credits to public land protection and subsidy reforms in the farm bill. In both chambers, the issue of offshore drilling was often a point of contention for several members of Congress.
In the House, Rep. Frank helped to defeat motions to allow offshore drilling. Similarly, Sen. Kerry voted against increasing offshore drilling areas. Despite both of their efforts, Congress allowed the moratorium on offshore drilling to expire at the end of September.
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