For
Immediate Release February 24, 2004 Contact Brian
Kennedy at (202) 226-9019
LCV
"Scorecard" Political, Threatens Future
Environmental Achievement
Members
of the House Committee on Resources Defend Record
Washington,
DC - The League of Conservation Voters
(LCV) released its annual "scorecard"
today, evaluating what it considers to be the
most critical environmental votes of 2003. While
the LCV defends the objectivity of its scorecard,
such a claim from an organization that relishes
itself as the "political voice" of the
environmental movement has long been questioned.
Predictably, all but one of the 28 Republicans on
the Resources Committee received 'failing' grades
from LCV.
Publicly-available
Federal
Election Commission and IRS
records for the League of Conservation Voters
show that the organization is indeed political,
but fail to reflect how it has contributed to any
tangible environmental achievements whatsoever.
In the last three election cycles, the LCV spent
an astounding $3,399,133 on independent
expenditure campaigns and negative advertising to
defeat Republicans. During the same time period,
the LCV gave more than $200,000 in direct
contributions to Democrat campaigns, trickling a
small sum to Republicans for
"objective" window-dressing.
The
credibility of LCV has also been called into
question more recently over its endorsement of
Democrat presidential candidate, John Kerry. The
nomination appeared suspect to some, as Teresa's
Heinz Kerry's various foundations have contributed
nearly $3 million in
recent years to both the LCV and the
environmental groups whose executives serve on
the LCV board.
"Participation
in the political process is something that should
be encouraged and increased in the United
States," Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-CA)
said. "But blatant partisanship and
misrepresentation of policy under a banner of
objectivity is counterproductive at best. The LCV
headlines would have Americans believe that
Congress is voting to blacken the sky and
decimate American lands when the data trend-lines
show that our environment is cleaner than it has
been in thirty years. This blurring of the true
state of our environment now is the biggest
threat to continued environmental success for the
future."
Congresswoman
Barbara Cubin (R-WY):
"I wish
the LCV spent half as much on actually protecting
the environment as they do on fundraising and
negative advertising. Every time the LCV attempts
to lock away our public lands the people of
Wyoming suffer. I'd know I was doing something
wrong if I did any better than a five percent in
their eyes."
Congressman
George Radanovich (R-CA):
"Considering
the policies they support, there's no problem in
receiving a failing grade from a radical
environmentalist fundraising organization like
the LCV. Their opposition to a sensible national
energy policy and forest management policy is
reprehensible. While the LCV stood by opposing
the Healthy Forests Act, California burned. And
while they continue to oppose an energy bill,
thousands of jobs are lost and energy costs
soar."
Congressman
Jim Gibbons (R-NV):
"I have
been elected to Congress to represent the views
and concerns of the people of the Second
Congressional District of Nevada-not some
left-wing, special interest group that
pontificates environmental protection but stymies
every responsible piece of legislation seeking to
achieve that goal. As Vice-Chairman of the House
Resources Committee, I am proud of the work we
have done under Chairman Pombo's leadership to
save our forests from catastrophic wildfires,
increase wetlands funding, and promote clean,
alternative energy-all achievements made in spite
of the League of Conservation Voters' dangerous
do-nothing attitude. Neither our environment nor
our nation is served by a radical environmental
group that spends almost 100% of its money on
contributions to Democrat campaigns instead of
funding real solutions to protecting our
environment, critical habitats, and
wildlife."
Congressman
Ken Calvert (R-CA):
"Over
the past two years the Resources Committee has
passed important legislation for our lands, our
forests and our oceans. If making progress on
protecting the environment, such as passing The
Healthy Forests Act, means receiving a failing
grade from the League of Conservation Voters than
I happily accept the F."
Congressman
Rob Bishop (R-UT):
"In a
modern twist on an old saying, 'put your money
where your mouth is,' the League of Conservation
Voters is engaging in their annual 'putting their
mouth where their money is' - with Democrats in
Congress. Their scorecard is only a public
recognition of propaganda that seems to be
designed to benefit one political party and
attack another. In light of the positions that
this organization usually takes which are harmful
to the citizens of Utah, I am sorry my score was
even as high as 5%. I may try to lower that in
the future."
The
Real Resources Story
Energy
- Energy is the lifeblood of the economy and
American quality of life. That is why the
comprehensive energy bill passed by the House in
2003 was written to modernize regulation to
reflect today's technology, stimulate investment,
and create roughly one million new jobs in the
U.S. The bill takes a sensible approach to
balancing traditional sources of energy with a
great percentage of the bill going to renewable
sources of energy such as wind, solar,
hydroelectric, biomass and clean coal.
Nonetheless, LCV would have America believe the
bill's environmentally destructive. To learn more
about energy development and environmental
safety, click here or visit
the Energy
Information Issues page.
Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
- Despite popular misconceptions, energy
production and environmental protection are not
mutually exclusive. American ingenuity and
technology can be deployed now to develop ANWR
with great environmental safety. To learn more,
read Chairman Richard W. Pombo's editorial on ANWR or
read the Clinton Administration report on Environmental
Benefits of Advanced Oil and Gas Exploration and
Production Technology.
Forest
Fire Policy - The Healthy Forests
Restoration Act signed into law this last year by
President Bush was the strongest environmental
protection bill signed into law since the Clean
Water Act and the Clean Air Act. By preventing
catastrophic wildfire, this bill will protect
both air and water quality from the polluting
effects of wildfire. It will also protect
endangered species and millions of acres of their
habitat. To learn more, click here or visit
the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health website.
Snowmobiles
in America's National Parks - President
Roosevelt's original intent for the parks is
prominently positioned on the arch that stretches
over the North entrance to Yellowstone: 'This
Park was created and is now administered for the
benefit and enjoyment of the people...it is the
property of Uncle Sam and therefore of us all.
Science and
common sense should always be used in determining
environmental policies. The Bush Administration's
rule was exactly that, requiring the "best
available technology" and daily limits on
the number of snowmobiles permitted. The LCV
would rather have Americans experience
Yellowstone while looking through a plate glass
window. For more information on balancing
preservation and access, visit the Subcommittee
on National Parks website or read the
current news from the
Resources Committee.
Methyl
Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) - The
government told refiners to put MTBE in gasoline
to make the air cleaner. Later, we found out that
it made the air cleaner, but made water smell and
taste bad when it leaked from gasoline tanks.
Chairman Pombo introduced the first bill ever to
ban MTBE when he came to Congress. But, instead
of focusing on fixing leaking tanks and cleaning
up MTBE, the LCV and other groups are playing
politics. Instead of helping Americans to make
sure their water is cleaned up, they're helping
trial lawyers make sure they can continue to
"clean up" by filing frivolous
lawsuits. Where was LCV in 1993 when Chairman
Pombo was trying to ban MTBE?
What
the Resources Committee Passed and LCV Neglected
to Mention...
North
American Wetlands Conservation Fund -
The strong support for $49.5 million for this
fund is FY'04. This was $12 million more than was
actually appropriated for the current fiscal
year. It is responsible for conserving, restoring
and enhancing more than 13 million acres of
wetlands, vital to the survival of millions of
waterfowl, in Canada, Mexico and the United
States. Its success has leveraged million of
dollars in private donations as well.
Multinational
Species Conservation Fund - The Chairman
of the House Committee on Resources strongly
supported additional funding for the conservation
of African elephants and highly endangered Asian
elephants, rhinoceros, tigers and Great Apes.
The
Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003(P.L.
108-16) - Nutria are large semi-aquatic
rodents introduced in the 1930's that have
destroyed more than 7,000 acres of wetlands in
Maryland and has damaged or destroyed over
100,000 wetlands in Louisiana. This law control
nutria in Louisiana and eliminate them in
Maryland saving thousands of acres of wetlands.
Ottawa
National Wildlife Refuge Complex Expansion and
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Expansion Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-23) -
This law expanded the boundaries of two existing
wildlife refuges in Michigan and Ohio, protecting
many species of fish and birds in the Western
Basin of Lake Erie.
Captive
Wildlife Safety Act (P.L. 108-191) -
This law makes it illegal to import, export or
sell in interstate or foreign commerce
"prohibited wildlife species" such as
lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars and
cougars. It protects the health and well being of
exotic animals.
Upper
Mississippi River Basin Protection Act -
This bill promotes the scientific basis for the
management of sediment and nutrient loss in the
Upper Mississippi River Basin.
To view the
LCV Scorecard, click here
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