FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 21 , 2008 |
CONTACT: David Willett 202.491.6919 Josh Dorner 202.675.2384 |
McCain Scores a ZERO on the Environment
Washington, D.C.--In the 2007 National Environmental Scorecard released today by the League of Conservation Voters, John McCain receives a score of ZERO. McCain was the only member of Congress to skip every single crucial environmental vote scored by the organization, posting a score lower than Members of Congress who were out for much of the year due to serious illnesses--and even lower than some who died during the term. By contrast, the average Member of Congress scored a 53 in 2007. McCain posts a lifetime score of only 24.
Statement of Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director
"We were appalled two weeks ago when John McCain was the only Senator who chose to skip a crucial vote on the future of clean energy in America-dooming the measure to fail by just a single vote. As it turns out, this was merely the most recent example of a clear pattern of missing the most important votes on energy and the environment--as his abysmal LCV score clearly demonstrates.
"McCain missed votes to save his constituents $499 million dollars at the pump and at least $550 million on their energy bills, while creating more than 10,000 new clean energy jobs in his home state.
"Out of 535 Members of Congress, John McCain is the only one who chose to miss every single key environmental vote scored by the League of Conservation Voters last year. When it came time to stand up and vote for the environment, John McCain was nowhere to be found.
"Every other Member who received a zero from LCV last year at least had the temerity to show up and vote against the environment and clean energy time after time. And unlike John McCain, I doubt any of them would claim to be environmental leaders or champions on global warming.
"The votes chosen by LCV represent the most important votes on the most pressing environmental matters facing us today: energy, global warming, clean water, stewardship of our public lands, and other crucial issues. Republicans and Democrats alike in both chambers received perfect scores of 100 this year, proof that being green isn’t a question of red or blue.
"John McCain’s LCV score exposes the real record behind the rhetoric: a lifetime pattern of voting with polluters and special interests instead of consumers and the planet when it comes time to stand up and be counted. Or perhaps worse yet: a consistent refusal to stand up and be counted at all. We encourage people to contact John McCain and tell him it’s time to start showing up to vote when the environment is on the line."
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For more information please visit: www.lcv.org/scorecard
League of Conservation Voters 2007 Scorecard Senate votes, all of which John McCain missed:
1. Cloture on H.R. 6, the energy bill (6/21, Vote 225)
2. Passage of H.R. 6, the energy bill (6/21, Vote 226)
3. Maintaining Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) in H.R. 6 (12/7, Vote 416)
4. Taking away giveaways to Big Oil to subsidize clean energy (12/13, Vote 425)
5. Loosening public health and environmental regulations on refineries (6/13, Vote 210)
6. Undermining the RES with coal and nuclear energy (6/14, Vote 211)
7. Offshore drilling in Virginia (6/14, Vote 212)
8. Liquid coal (6/19, Vote 213)
9. Environmental safeguards for biofuels (6/20, 219)
10. Consider global warming for water projects (5/15, Vote 166)
11. Appropriately prioritizing water projects (5/15, Vote 165)
12. International family planning (9/6, Vote 320)
13. Farm Bill subsidy reform (12/11, Vote 417)
14. Farm Bill subsidy caps (12/13, Vote 424)
15. Eminent Domain for public parks (12/3, Vote 429)
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