By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – An environmental advocacy group today releases its annual scorecard on Congressional voting records. The League of Conservation Voters says, on the whole, the Western New York delegation gets high marks for pro-environmental voting.
For about 30 years, the bi-partisan group known as the LCV has been tracking how favorably the nation's lawmakers vote on a host of environmental issues.
In 2005, LCV said there were 20 key Senate votes and 18 House Votes. Issues ranged from the Energy Bill to Arctic Drilling and Global Warming.
The advocacy group said Western New York's representatives, overall, scored pretty well. Cormac Flynn is state outreach director for LCV. Flynn said both Senators voted particularly strong for the environment.
"It's not that easy to get a hundred percent sometimes and Senator Schumer has done it on more than one occasion and he has been an outstanding leader, as has Senator Clinton, this year and throughout her career," said Flynn.
Clinton scored 94 percent out of a possible 100. But the scorecard was split for Western New York's House representatives.
Getting high marks from LCV for pro-environment voting were Democratic Congresswoman Louis Slaughter with 89 percent and freshman Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins.
He voted the way the advocacy group thought he should 94 percent of the time. But Flynn said the other local Congressional newcomer, Republican Randy Kuhl, had an abysmal record at 6 percent.
"We're always interested to see the freshmen that get there and have to start voting, you begin to see their real stripes, " said Flynn. "Congressman Kuhl's record was just shocking."
Not shocking he said, but equally disappointing, was the environmental voting record for Republican Thomas Reynolds.
With an 11 percent score, Flynn said Reynolds continues a career of voting against the environment. Flynn says citizens should look at the scorecard as a tool.
"Whether those folks are actually delivering for them the things that they promise, or whether they are really putting the interest of corporate polluters, special interests - those who put short term profit margin - ahead of the long-term prosperity of America," said Flynn.
The LCV was founded out of the first Earth Day and calls itself the non-partisan voice of the environmental community.