Carper’s Leadership on Clean Air, Clean Water and Climate Action Earns Another 100% Rating by LCV

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Tom Carper, top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, proudly earned another 100 percent rating on the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) National Environmental Scorecard for his ongoing efforts to fight for clean air, safe drinking water and a healthy planet, including his recent introduction of the Clean Economy Act, legislation that would put our country on a path to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050.

“We are grateful to Senator Carper for leading the charge to introduce the Clean Economy Act, for his leadership on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and for always prioritizing climate action and protections of our air, water, lands, wildlife, and democracy,” said LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “Despite Leader McConnell’s utter failure to act on climate in 2019, Senator Carper continues to be a tireless champion for our environment and the health of our communities.”

“I’m proud and honored to have earned another 100 percent rating by the League of Conservation Voters,” said Senator Carper. “I often view the work we do on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee through the eyes of our Founding Fathers, who asserted that all Americans have inalienable rights to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ Americans cannot truly enjoy life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness without clean air to breathe, safe water to drink and a healthy planet to call home. In 2020, I will continue working toward a more perfect Union by making that vision a reality for every American.”

According to LCV, since 1970, the National Environmental Scorecard has been providing objective, factual information about the most important environmental legislation considered and the corresponding voting records of all members of Congress. 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, global warming, public health, public lands and wildlife conservation, and spending for environmental programs.

Each vote scored has been assigned to one or more issue categories. There are 12 total categories, which are described below:

• Air – Votes on air pollution, including votes related to the Clean Air Act.
• Clean Energy – Votes on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
• Climate Change – Votes directly related to global warming pollution and increasing climate resilience for communities and wildlife.
• Dirty Energy – Votes on polluting energy sources, including conventional fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal; non-conventional fossil fuels such as tar sands; and harmful energy subsidies for nuclear energy and fossil fuels.
• Drilling – Votes on drilling onshore and in the waters off the nation’s coasts.
• Lands/Forests – Votes addressing both private and public lands and forests, including wilderness designations, federal land management agencies, logging, mining, and grazing.
• Oceans – Votes on ocean conservation issues, including fisheries management.
• Other – A broad catch-all category that includes votes on overhauling the regulatory process, sweeping funding cuts, the National Environmental Policy Act, federal appointments and nominations, campaign finance reform, trade, family planning, and eminent domain/takings, among other issues.
• Toxics/Public Right to Know – Votes on the use of and exposure to toxic chemicals (including pesticides), the public’s right to know if they are at risk, and Superfund sites.
• Transportation – Votes on transportation and vehicle fuels policy, including fuel efficiency standards, biking and walking infrastructure, transit, and rail.
• Water – Votes on water quality and quantity issues and water pollution, including votes related to the Clean Water Act.
• Wildlife – Votes on fish (freshwater and saltwater) and wildlife issues, including the Endangered Species Act.

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