Environmental Scorecard: The Great, Great Candidate Chasm

[Raya]

ENVIRONMENTAL SCORECARD

League of Conservation Voters Environment Scorecard Ratings (0-100%) for each of the current Congressional candidates based on how they voted on bills that impacted the environment. Shown below: 107th (2001-2002), 106th (1999-2000), and 105th (1997-1998) Congressional sessions.

Congressional Candidate 107th 106th 105th

Senator John Edwards (NC)-----------68% 88% N/A----Average= 78%
Congressman Richard Gephardt (MO)--91% 93% 83%----Averate= 89%
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (OH) 95% 90% 86%----Average= 90%
Senator Joe Lieberman (CT)----------88% 94% 100%-- Average= 94%
Senator John Kerry (MA)------------ 92% 96% 100%---Average= 96%

As a Governor, Howard Dean does not have a League of Conservation Voter score. But here is what environmental leaders in Vermont say:

Annette Smith, the director of Vermonters for a Clean Environment:

“Dean’s attempts to run for president as an environmentalist are nothing but a fraud. He’s destroyed the Agency of Natural Resources, he’s refused to meet with environmentalists while constantly meeting with the development community, and he’s made the permitting process one, big dysfunctional joke.”

Tom Elliott, the former volunteer political director for the Vermont Sierra Club:

“Howard Dean’s environmental record in Vermont is toxic.”

[dsc]

1. I would like a link

for that second quote.

[Raya]

12. Here a SOURCE of Enviromental Record Review

constellationdesign.net/S4K/EnvironmentalVoter.pdf

My involvement in the movement goes back 20 year. If Dean had
a great Green record I would have know about.

[Bill McBlueState]

2. not really convincing

For the first five candidates, you have statistical averages based on fact: their voting records.

For Dean, you have two quotes, free of any real facts except something ambiguous about destroying an agency. Who are Smith and Elliott? What kind of agendas do they have? How do their beliefs compare with those in the agency they represent, or used to represent?

Just some stuff to consider.

[Raya]

9. Dean did not have any visibility in Environmental Movement prior

Few Environmental Group had knowledge of Dean's record prior to
his candidacy. Here is an email from S. Crowley from Vermont Sierra
Club.

Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 11:50:33 -0400
From: "Stephen Crowley"


Dean has been reasonably good on funding land protection, such as the
housing and conservation trust fund and other major land purchases. His
record on clean air, clean water, utility/ energy issues, permit issues,
enforcement, stormwater, TMDL's, environmental appointments, is not very
good, but light years better than the current (Bush) administration. He
is
probably not a lot different in these areas than most of the pack of
dem.
contenders. He has made a lot of decent statements, and done some
positive
things, on some of our issues, such as global warming, but has rarely
been
a leader or pusher when meaningful action items are really on the
table. He did push strongly for rail transportation, even when it
became
controversial, and has supported bikepaths, etc.

Sierra Club has not taken a position at this point among the primary
candidates, and could well wait until after the conventions to make an
endorsement. Who knows -- Howard Dean would probably get the Club's
endorsement if he becomes the candidate. We would probably not do any
website stuff on Dean before that.

That would be the first time we would have endorsed him.

Steve Crowley

[WiseMen]

19. Amazing the Deannies act as if Kerry is reactionary scum

[sandnsea]

3. Dean is probably above average

Certainly better than Bush. My biggest gripe is that it seems to me there's a huge difference between environmentalism in the east and the west. The Champion Land, which is his great environmental achievement, uses logging as a supposed environmental tool. That just drives me crazy because that is not what land conservation means to most of us in the west. The agreement also allows snowmobiling which is also something we try not to include in true forest conservation areas. This was a land use agreement, not a conservation agreement. Land use is status quo forests in the west and I'm not sure what he'd do as President because he didn't seem to get it in Vermont.

[JohnKleeb]

4. sandsnea this issue is one of the reasons I prefer Kerry over Dean

So you know, I really like what Senator Kerry has done on the environment over the years and I still envy that RFK Jr endorsement :) but well earned,

[reknewcomer]

6. Nothing wrong with logging and snowmobiling in Vermont

If you are not from here then I suggest you come here and have a chat with us. We know how to care for the land and don't need any flatlanders telling us how to do it. The reason Dems manage to survive here is because they understand Vermonters. If any far left extremists ever try to tell us how to manage our land and resource they will be run out of town real quick.

Most Vermonters respect out fine snowmobilers and loggers. Bank on it.

[SahaleArm]

13. Dean to VT - Clear cutting is good for the environment n/t

[killbotfactory]

15. Logging = Clear cutting, now?

[Raya]

16. Another Way in Which DEAN = BUSH-LITE

Dean apear to have had a reputation of snubing environmentalist and courting developers as a matter of both personal social preference and state policy. BETTER THAN BUSH, BUT NOT BY MUCH.

[sandnsea]

14. Exactly

If that's what Vermont considers environmentalism than it concerns me. There are places in each state where land use is appropriate. There are places in the United States that belong to all of us. Howard Dean touts the Champion Land deal as his great environmental achievement and it's nothing more than land use. He doesn't seem to get the difference and I guess Vermonters don't either. So when it comes to callling him good on the environment, especially coupled with Sierra Blanca and Yucca Mtn, I have to think not. Which is just one more reason I don't think he's the Democrat to bring back the traditions of the Democratic Party.

[TexasPatriot]

17. Another question mark for the CV

I have issues with Dean's environmental record - and fear he'll have a hard time encouraging those environmentalist single-issue voters to his cause in the general when Bush starts running the Toxic Avenger ads in the fall.

However, I live near an alcoa strip mine thanks to Bush* as governor... Dean would have to be an eco-villain from Captain Planet (which he most certainly is not) to be worse the Bush*.

Also, remember - we dems are good at picking governors who have terrible environmental records. What Clinton did in Ark with the chicken waste was the reason I worked for Brown in 92.

[WiseMen]

20. Very Generous. But I think Raya is Comparing Dean to Democratic Candidates

[reknewcomer]

5. Tom Elliott, former volunteer political director of the Vermont Sierra clu

There is a reason he is a "former" and a "volunteer". He has his opinion and Vermont has theirs. I'll stand up for Dean here and say he did the proper things for Vermont and Elliot is full of sour grapes.

Vermont is cleaner and brighter now than it has ever been. Elliot is a hack and nothing more.

[Raya]

11. FALSE statement: Sierra Club officials are almost all Volunteer

Either you have no knowledge of the movement or you do and
are being deceptive.

[ochazuke]

7. A Political Perspective

I think it's easier for a congressman or senator from a liberal district or state to be pro-environment, and being a governor is quite different, too. I don't remember Clinton having a good environmental record -- think he had a problem with Tyson chicken -- as governor, yet he wasn't bad as president.

As president, any of the Dem. candidates would probably be pretty good on the environment just because they have to keep the environmentalists happy (big Dem. constituancy). So, I think we should choose a candidate based on his/her ability to beat Bush and run a good administration (i.e. one that the Republicans couldn't effectively campaign against like they did Carter, or Clinton after that health-care disaster).

I don't know who that is, but I'm pretty sure it's not any of the non-Southern candidates.

[Jerseycoa]

8. No score for Clark either

But if anybody would like to see where he stands, here is his League of Conservation Voters Questionnaire.

[Raya]

18. Clark is in a beautifull situation. NO RECORD

This is almost a good as Deans "secret" record.

[quaker bill]

10. From my experience actually enforcing environmental law

Getting dissed by Sierra on occasion is just par for the course. Don't get me wrong, Sierra is sorely needed to balance the scales.

But when nothing short of complete and absolute victory will do, disappointment reigns supreme. Sierra has been out of the mainstream for a long time. I have met some very bitter activists there.

They are reasonably bitter, they usually have good points and are not listened to. The quintessential problem is that the more bitter they get, the less they are heeded. It is a vicious cycle.

The funny thing is that people (even republicans) actually like to protect the environment. Polling shows that it is one of the most successful issues progressives have. There is another way.

I have never been congratulated by Sierra for shutting down or heavily fining a project. Audubon on the other hand, will send a thank you note.

[blindpig]

21. where exacty is this mainstream located?

Has it been channeled to the right like the rest of our discourse? Of course, environmental policy should be dictated primarliy by sound science and not economics or philosophy. It's clear to me as someone who has birded and chased reptiles for 40 yrs and done a fair amount of travel to do such that biodiversity is on the skids. With the real world going away at a frightening rate there's not much room for compromise