Environmental Scorecard Released — Brooklyn Congressmembers Score High

New York Outperforms Nation

Thursday the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) released the 2010 National Environmental Scorecard, which evaluates how members of Congress vote on environmental, public health and energy issues. There were six different Senate votes and nine different House votes on the 2010 scorecard on issues ranging from clean energy to public health protections to lands conservation.

"Unfortunately, the most important votes of 2010 are the ones that didn’t happen: the Senate failed to even begin debate on a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill and also failed to respond to the greatest environmental disaster in our nation's history — the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico," said LCV President Gene Karpinski. "The 2010 National Environmental Scorecard clearly illustrates that there is much work to be done."

However, New York’s members of Congress outperformed the nation in terms of their scores, with a few exceptions. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand both scored 100 percent (the national average for the Senate was 48 percent), while New York’s average for the house was 88, compared to a national average of 57.

Brooklyn Congressmembers scored above average. Jerrold Nadler (D), who represents parts of the waterfront neighborhoods, scored 100. So did Yvette D. Clarke (D), who represents neighborhoods in central Brooklyn, and Nydia M. Velázquez (D), who represents neighborhoods in northern Brooklyn and some along the waterfront.

Congressmen Anthony D. Weiner (D), who represents much of southern Brooklyn, and Edolphus Towns (D), who represents parts of northwest and east Brooklyn, both scored 90. So did Mike McMahon (D) who used to represent southwest Brooklyn. He was replaced in the 2010 election by Congressman Michael Grimm.

"Both of New York’s senators and 17 of our House members achieved perfect scores on the 2010 National Environmental Scorecard. Their efforts underscore just how much New Yorkers care about clean energy and a more sustainable future," said Marcia Bystryn, president of the New York LCV. "We look forward to working with members on both sides of the aisle in the New York delegation to keep making environmental progress in 2011."