OLCV announces Oregon delegation scores from LCV’s 2009 National Environmental Scorecard

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 22, 2010

Contact: Kate Geller, (202) 454-4573 or kate_geller@lcv.org
Toby Van Fleet, (503) 224-4011 or toby@olcv.org

The Oregon League of Conservation Voters announces Oregon delegation scores from LCV’s 2009 National Environmental Scorecard

***Full Scorecard available at www.lcv.org/scorecard ***

Portland, OR – Today, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters joined the national League of Conservations Voters in releasing the 2009 National Environmental Scorecard, revealing scores for the Oregon delegation in the first session of the 111th Congress. For 30 years, the National Environmental Scorecard issued by LCV has been the nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental, public health and energy issues.

“We applaud those members of the Oregon delegation who fought in 2009 to bring clean energy jobs to the state and reduce our national dependence on foreign oil, such as Senators Merkley and Wyden,” said OLCV Political Director Katy Daily. “The 2009 Scorecard clearly exposes Representative Walden as someone willing to put corporate polluters and other special interests ahead of a cleaner, more secure energy future for Oregon.”

The 2009 Scorecard includes 11 Senate and 13 House votes dominated by clean energy and climate but also encompassing other environmental issues such as public lands, water and wildlife conservation.

In Oregon, two of the five House members and both senators earned a perfect 100 percent score in 2009. Representative Schrader still scored high with a 93 percent, while Representative DeFazio (D) scored a 79 percent. Rep. Walden (R) stood out in the delegation with an abysmal 43 percent, bringing down the 2009 House average among Oregon delegates to 83 percent.

“The 2009 National Environmental Scorecard illustrates the extent to which the Obama administration and the 111th Congress began to move our nation towards a clean energy future that will create new jobs, make America more energy independent and curb global warming pollution,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “However, it also makes clear that there is still much work to be done, first and foremost to finish the work started in the House by swiftly passing a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill in the Senate.”

Representatives Blumenauer, Schrader and Wu voted for the landmark American Clean Energy and Security Act, which would help bring nearly 21,000 clean energy jobs to Oregon.*

2009 LCV Oregon Delegation Scores

• Senator Jeff Merkley (D): 100
• Senator Ron Wyden (D): 100
• Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D): 100
• Rep. Peter DeFazio (D): 79
• Rep. Kurt Schrader (D): 93
• Rep. Greg Walden (R): 43
• Rep. David Wu (D): 100

The full 2009 National Environmental Scorecard can be found at www.lcv.org/scorecard

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* Center for American Progress & Political Economy Research Institute,
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/06/clean_energy_map.html