For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018
Contact:
Lee Francis | Communications Manager
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org
RICHMOND – The Virginia League of Conservation Voters today released the Virginia congressional delegation’s scores on the League of Conservation Voters’ 2017 National Environmental Scorecard. The Scorecard is the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of every member of Congress, and is available for download here, in Spanish here, and online at scorecard.lcv.org.
“Even while we continue to make progress here in Virginia expanding clean energy and addressing climate change, safeguarding our water resources, and protecting open spaces, it’s clear these priorities remain under attack at the federal level, where extreme, partisan politics is getting in the way of doing the right thing for conservation,” said Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “In a state where voters overwhelmingly favor protecting our environment, Virginia’s congressional delegation can and must do better.”
“This Republican-led Congress repeatedly refused to stand up to President Trump’s extreme anti-environmental agenda and his attacks on our air, water, land and wildlife,” said LCV Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “In a year where devastating hurricanes and wildfires showed why the need to fight climate change is so urgent, Congress instead inflicted lasting damage on our communities by reversing clean water protections, confirming industry favorites to key environmental posts and opening up the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. Our environmental champions are more important than ever as the administration’s hostility toward our communities continues to grow.”
The 2017 Scorecard includes 35 House votes, with a national average House Republican score of 5 percent and a national average House Democrat score of 94 percent. In the Senate, the Scorecard includes 19 votes, including eight votes to confirm anti-environmental Cabinet and sub-Cabinet nominees who have wasted no time implementing Trump’s dangerous agenda. Nationally, Senate Democrats averaged 93 percent, while Senate Republicans averaged just 1 percent.
The 2017 Scorecard measures votes cast during the first session of the 115th Congress. In Virginia, four House members and Senator Kaine earned a score of 80 percent or greater, while seven House members earned an abysmal score of 10 percent or less. The average House score for Virginia was 37 percent and the average Senate score was 87 percent.
The full delegation’s scores for 2017 are:
United States Senate
| Name | Party | District | 2017 Score | Lifetime Score |
| Tim Kaine | D | Statewide | 95 | 94 |
| Mark Warner | D | Statewide | 79 | 85 |
United States House of Representatives
| Name | Party | District | 2017 Score | Lifetime Score |
| Rob Wittman | R | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| Scott Taylor | R | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Bobby Scott | D | 3 | 100 | 91 |
| Don McEachin | D | 4 | 89 | 89 |
| Tom Garrett | R | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Bob Goodlatte | R | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Dave Brat | R | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Don Beyer | D | 8 | 100 | 99 |
| Morgan Griffith | R | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| Barbara Comstock | R | 10 | 9 | 5 |
| Gerry Connolly | D | 11 | 100 | 97 |
LCV has published a National Environmental Scorecard every Congress since 1970. The Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from about 20 respected environmental and conservation organizations who selected the key votes on which members of Congress should be scored. LCV scores votes on the most important issues of the year, including energy, climate change, public health, public lands and wildlife conservation, and spending for environmental programs. The votes included in the Scorecard presented members of Congress with a real choice and help distinguish which legislators are working for environmental protection. More information on individual votes and the Scorecard archive can be found at scorecard.lcv.org.