Idaho delegation receives higher environmental score than in previous years…but not by much
Boise, Idaho (March 2, 2022) – This morning, Conservation Voters for Idaho (CVI) unveiled scores for the Idaho delegation as part of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) 2021 National Environmental Scorecard. The Scorecard is available in both English and Spanish at scorecard.lcv.org.
The 2021 Scorecard measures votes cast during the first session of the 117th Congress on the most important issues of the year, including energy, climate change, public health, environmental and racial justice, worker protection, democracy, public lands and wildlife conservation, and spending for environmental programs.
All members of the Idaho delegation did score higher than in previous years, but are still far behind the national average (60% in the Senate and 57% in the House).
“Although we’ve seen an improvement in this year’s Scorecard, the report still shows that we have a lot of work to do when it comes to getting our congressional delegation to represent Idahoans’ values of protecting our clean air and water and open space,” said Shevawn Bell, external relations director for the organization.
The Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Project 2022 Conservation in the West Poll revealed that over 80% of Idahoans say that issues involving clean water, wildlife, and public lands are important in deciding whether to support an elected public official.
IDAHO CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION SCORES:
Sen. Mike Crapo: 21
Sen. Jim Risch: 21
Rep. Russ Fulcher: 11
Rep. Mike Simpson: 26
In Idaho, Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch earned a score of 21% (last year, both Senators scored 0%) while Representative Fulcher earned 11% (up from 4%) and Rep. Simpson earned 26% (up from 19%).
Notable positive votes include Representatives Fulcher and Simpson supporting the Indian Buffalo Management Act and Senators Crapo and Risch supporting the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021.
CVI is a state affiliate of the LCV and works to protect Idaho’s quality of life by advocating for sound environmental policies, electing pro-conservation candidates, and by holding politicians accountable for their votes on conservation issues. For over 40 years, the National Environmental Scorecard issued by LCV has been the nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental, public health, and energy issues. For more information, visit http://scorecard.lcv.org.
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About Conservation Voters for Idaho
Conservation Voters for Idaho protects Idaho’s quality of life by electing pro-conservation candidates, advocating for sound environmental policies and holding politicians accountable for their votes on conservation and voting rights issues. Learn more at https://cvidaho.org/.