For Immediate Release:
Monday, July 3, 2023
Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org
RICHMOND – Today, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters released its 2023 Conservation Scorecard, which ranks all 140 members of the legislature based on their votes on key environmental legislation during this year’s General Assembly session, and includes our second comprehensive rankings for the Governor based on his actions on the environment over the past year.
The full 2023 Scorecard can be viewed and downloaded here.
“We are grateful that the Conservation Majority in the State Senate again held the line on the gains we’ve made, but we know we need to go further to protect our environment for the next generation,” said Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “With elections for all 140 seats in the General Assembly on the ballot this fall, 2023 is an incredibly important year for the future of environmental protection in Virginia. Voters will have the choice between Governor Youngkin’s reckless, harmful policies or continuing on the path to cleaner air and a clean energy future, and our Scorecard shows Virginians exactly what’s at stake, while making sure that lawmakers keep our issues top-of-mind.”
Governor Youngkin rose from an F to a D-minus in this year’s rankings based on his work on utility regulation and his inclusion of strong water quality funding in budget amendments sent down prior to the 2023 legislative session. Youngkin’s overall grade reflects his repeated attacks on climate action – both at the legislature and through the regulatory process – his rejection of an electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant for political reasons, some questionable appointments, bad amendments to legislation, and his tilt toward embracing right-wing election conspiracy theories that undermine our democracy.
On this legislative side, this year’s Scorecard very much reflects our current political lay of the land that saw the environmental community working to protect the progress we’ve made in recent years, especially our policies to cut carbon emissions, address the climate crisis, and secure a clean energy future. At the end of the day, no piece of legislation that we opposed made it to the Governor’s desk, though we only saw marginal forward progress on environmental protection.
This year’s legislator scores take into account 20 votes in the House of Delegates and 23 votes in the Senate of Virginia.
Sixty-four lawmakers, 21 Senators and 43 Delegates, scored a perfect 100-percent score in 2023, earning the designation of “Legislative Hero” for voting alongside Virginia LCV’s position on top conservation priorities every time this year.
2023 Legislative Heroes
Sen. George Barker
Sen. John Bell
Sen. Jennifer Boysko
Sen. Creigh Deeds
Sen. Adam Ebbin
Sen. John Edwards
Sen. Barbara Favola
Sen. Ghazala Hashmi
Sen. Janet Howell
Sen. Lynwood Lewis
Sen. Mamie Locke
Sen. Louise Lucas
Sen. Dave Marsden
Sen. Monty Mason
Sen. Jennifer McClellan
Sen. Jeremy McPike
Sen. Joe Morrissey
Sen. Chap Petersen
Sen. Aaron Rouse
Sen. Lionell Spruill
Sen. Scott Surovell
Del. Dawn Adams
Del. Lamont Bagby
Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker
Del. Jeffrey Bourne
Del. David Bulova
Del. Betsy Carr
Del. Nadarius Clark
Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler
Del. Karrie Delaney
Del. Eileen Filler-Corn
Del. Wendy Gooditis
Del. Elizabeth Guzman
Del. Charniele Herring
Del. Patrick Hope
Del. Sally Hudson
Del. Clint Jenkins
Del. Kaye Kory
Del. Paul Krizek
Del. Alfonso Lopez
Del. Michelle Maldonado
Del. Delores McQuinn
Del. Michael Mullin
Del. Candi Mundon King
Del. Kathleen Murphy
Del. Ken Plum
Del. Cia Price
Del. Sam Rasoul
Del. David Reid
Del. Danica Roem
Del. Holly Siebold
Del. Briana Sewell
Del. Irene Shin
Del. Mark Sickles
Del. Mark Simon
Del. Shelly Simonds
Del. Suhas Subramanyam
Del. Rip Sullivan
Del. Luke Torian
Del. Kathy Tran
Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg
Del. Jeion Ward
Del. Vivian Watts
Del. Rodney Willett
Another 6 lawmakers, one Senator and five Delegates, earned scores between 75 and 99 percent in 2020, earning the designation of “Legislative Leader” for their prioritization of key conservation issues.
2023 Legislative Leaders
Sen. Dick Saslaw (85%)
Del. Jackie Glass (94%)
Del. Angelia Williams Graves (94%)
Del. Cliff Hayes (95%)
Del. Dan Helmer (94%)
Del. Don Scott (94%)
Virginia LCV also recognized three lawmakers for their individual leadership this year on different environmental issues. These went to Senator Emmett Hanger (R-Augusta), Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-Richmond) and former Senator, now Congresswoman, Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond).
About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.
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