NEW JERSEY LCV ANNOUNCES DELEGATION SCORES FROM LCV’S 2020 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCORECARD

Trenton, NJ—New Jersey LCV today released the New Jersey delegation’s scores on the League of Conservation Voters’ 2020 National Environmental Scorecard, showing the vastly different approaches the House and Senate took on environmental progress and the four interwoven crises plaguing our nation: the coronavirus pandemic, economic inequality, racial injustice, and climate change. The Scorecard is the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of every member of Congress, and it is available for download here, in Spanish here, and online in both languages at scorecard.lcv.org.

“President Biden has wasted no time putting climate at the top of his agenda. New Jersey is proud to have so many representatives in Congress fighting to protect our environment alongside this new administration,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director, New Jersey LCV. “Nearly every member of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation has stood up for our health and the environment. These members worked every day to make sure we have clean air, safe drinking water, and open space for all New Jerseyans. But the federal government cannot do this alone. Now that we have pro-environment leadership in the White House and Congress, there has never been a more important time to support Governor Murphy and the New Jersey legislature as we work toward protecting our air and drinking water, accelerating the transition to 100% clean energy, advancing environmental justice for communities of color, and combating the existential threat of climate change.”

The 2020 Scorecard measures votes cast during the second session of the 116th Congress. In New Jersey, 11 House members and two Senators earned a score of 80% or greater. The average House score for the New Jersey congressional delegation was 94% and the average Senate score was 96%.

“As the Trump administration continued to roll back environmental protections and actively put our environment and health at risk, Senator Booker and Representatives Coleman, Gottheimer, Kim, Malinowski, Norcross, Pallone, Pascrell, Sherrill, and Sires all received scores of 100%. They and the other members of our delegation stood up for New Jersey,” added Potosnak. “New Jerseyans should be proud because all but one member of our congressional delegation received a score above 80%, the exception being Representative Van Drew, who scored 67%.

“During an incredibly difficult and unprecedented year and with the most anti-environmental president ever, pro-environment members of the 116th Congress paved the way for transformational action on climate and environmental justice,” said LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “Now the pro-environment trifecta — led by President Biden and Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader Schumer — is poised to enact transformational progress that results in healthy, equitable, safe communities powered by clean energy.”

The 2020 Scorecard includes 21 House votes that advanced pro-environmental and pro-democracy bills, provisions, and government funding. In the Senate, for the fourth year in a row, the majority of the 13 scored votes were extreme and partisan nominations both to the federal bench and the Trump administration. For the first time, the 2020 National Environmental Scorecard includes votes on removing public monuments to racism and policing and criminal justice reform. The same damaging system—racism—is at the root of climate injustice, environmental injustice, and police brutality. The 2020 Scorecard therefore includes votes that reflect LCV’s belief that these struggles are intertwined and must be addressed together.

LCV has published a National Environmental Scorecard every Congress since 1970. The Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from more than 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, environmental justice, public health, public lands and wildlife conservation, democracy, and spending for environmental programs. The votes included in the Scorecard presented members of Congress with a real choice and helped distinguish which legislators are working for environmental protection. More information on individual votes and the Scorecard archive can be found at scorecard.lcv.org.

Earlier this month, LCV released a new report examining the environmental records of members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), collectively referred to as the Tri-Caucus. Using data from LCV’s 2020 National Environmental Scorecard, the report details how members of the Tri-Caucus were champions of strong environmental policies that address environmental injustice, helped chair a record number of hearings about climate change, and led on many of the critical pro-environmental bills during the 116th Congress.

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