The following press release is from the Virginia Sierra Club. Note that 58 out of 140 Virginia state legislators – ALL Democrats – received “A” grades (another 11 Democrats received “B” or “C” grades), while every single Republican state legislator received an “F” grade! Just in case anyone was (falsely) thinking that there was any equivalence between these two parties. And yes, just as I wrote about candidates for Congress, if you are a climate science denier, you should be *automatically* disqualified from holding public office in America and/or for being seriously considered as an option by any voter on election day. That’s just completely unacceptable and beyond the pale — not just a difference in policy preference.
Virginia Legislators’ Grades on Climate, Environment, and Justice in 2022 Sierra Club Scorecard Showcases Attacks, Weak Points
Virginia — The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter released their annual legislative scorecard today, an informative scoring of state legislators’ votes on energy policies, climate solutions, voting rights and environmental justice. The annual scorecard is produced for constituents concerned about preserving Virginia’s environment and promoting environmental justice to hold their elected officials accountable. The 2022 scorecard showcases how dynamics have changed in the Virginia General Assembly since 2021.
The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter sets a high scoring standard for lawmakers to receive a top grade. Fifty-eight out of one hundred forty legislators scored an “A” on this year’s “Climate, Energy, and Justice Legislative Scorecard.”
“This scorecard empowers constituents to know if their representatives are taking the climate crisis seriously or are failing to meet the moment,” said Connor Kish, Legislative and Political Director for the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. “With the Supreme Court decision to gut the EPA’s power to hold polluters accountable at the federal level, and continued Congressional in-action, state-level action is of paramount importance”
Unlike legislative sessions in recent years, Virginia did not pass any landmark environmental legislation in 2022. Instead, this year’s General Assembly session was mired with blatant attempts to rollback progress, largely led by Governor Youngkin and right-wing conservatives. Thus, this year’s scorecard reflects vital votes that either upheld or undermined Virginia’s ability to protect our climate and communities.
“The scorecard shows that major attacks to key progress were defeated, but there is still room for improvement from our legislators. Our leaders can’t truly address the climate crisis without prioritizing impacted communities and people who have been over-burdened by polluters for too long. The most impacted communities are still waiting for action,” said Gustavo Angeles, Environmental Justice Program Manager for the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter.
View the complete 2022 Virginia Climate, Energy and Justice Scorecard at https://vasierra.club/legscores2022.
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