Tag: League of Conservation Voters

According to the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV), protecting Virginia's environment is a radically liberal thing to do, especially if it entails the Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate consulting with the League of Conservation Voters, that horrendous organization that has charged itself with conserving the natural beauty left in Virginia.

In its latest example of insanity, the Republican Party of Virginia "is reminding voters that Terry McAuliffe's experts at the anti-coal League of Conservation Voters have already praised the new regulations." The regulations being referred to are those being enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), requiring new coal-burning power plants to limit the carbon dioxide that is released. According to the Republican Party of Virginia, the new coal-burning regulations will "kill jobs."

But instead of throwing the full force of its rhetorical slime at Terry McAuliffe, the Republican Party of Virginia has settled for criticizing McAuliffe for being allies with the League of Conservation Voters, who has praised the new EPA regulations. For McAuliffe's own part, he has said he'll make a decision in the near future about whether to support the regulations or not.

The latest Congressional scorecard from the League of Conservation Voters flunks every single Virginia Republican, including House members like Scott Rigell, Rob Wittman and Frank Wolf who'll be trying to sell themselves as moderate in November. Committed opponents of clean air & water, public health, and wildlife like Eric Cantor, Randy Forbes, Bob Goodlatte, Morgan Griffith and Robert Hurt all scored in the teens. Meanwhile, Virginia House Democrats Gerry Connolly, Jim Moran and Bobby Scott all scored 100%. On the Senate side, both Sen. Mark Warner and Jim Webb scored 100%, though given that both support oil drilling off Virginia's shores and Webb has opposed clean air regulations, neither is perfect on conservation.

What drew the LCV's ire? Every single Republican voted for the House Republican budget resolution to gut the Clean Air Act & Clean Water Act, to protect billions in tax giveaways for oil corporations that banked $137 billion in profits in 2011, and to weaken offshore drilling safety rules even as they pushed to bring oil drilling to the Virginia coast:

Virginia GOP U.S. Senate candidate George Allen has been named the first member of the 2012 League of Conservation Voters Dirty Dozen:

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters 2010 legislative scorecard is out, and there are some "heroes" - 100% voting records on the environment - that deserve a round of applause. Here they are, and also read "hero" Scott Surovell's press release after the flip.  Thanks to everyone who was a champion for the environment, and shame on all those - mostly, but not all, Republicans - with low (e.g., under 65% or so) environmental ratings. In this day and age, with everything we know, there's simply no excuse.

P.S. A few major disappointments on the Democrat side in the House of Delegates were Ward Armstrong (29% - so much for any hope of getting "green" support for his statewide ambitions), Johnny Joannou (29%, although it's certainly not surprising with that jerk!), Onzlee Ware (29%), and Bud Phillips (29%).  

Disappointments on the Senate side were Dick Saslaw (64% - I've said it before and I'll say it again, he needs to be primaried), Toddy Puller (64%), Phil Puckett (60%), JC Miller (56%), Yvonne Miller (64%), Chuck Colgan (33%), Ed Houck (56%), and Dave Marsden (56% - absolutely no excuse given that his district is strongly pro-environment). With Democratic "friends" of the environment like these, who needs Republicans?