News
Press Release
March 2, 2022
Contact: Liz Deering, liz@conservationminnesota.org
League of Conservation Voters Releases National Scorecard for Minnesota’s Delegation
Minneapolis, MN—Today, Conservation Minnesota Voter Center released the Minnesota delegation’s scores on the League of Conservation Voters’ 2021 National Environmental Scorecard highlighting how some members championed environmental and climate issues, while others did not. The Scorecard is the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of members of Congress since 1970 and is available for download here, in Spanish here, and online at scorecard.lcv.org.
“We are proud to have representatives that will work alongside this administration to find the solutions our state and country need,” said Conservation Minnesota Voter Center’s Executive Director, Paul Austin. “Senators Smith and Klobuchar, as well as Congresspeople Craig, Phillips, McCollum, and Omar have stood up for Minnesota’s heath and our environment. We know the work is still not done and more is needed to prepare future generations for a changing climate. The Minnesota delegation must work with the White House and their colleagues in Congress to pass the Build Back Better Agenda.”
Pro-conservation leaders across both chambers and the White House undid much of the damage from the previous administration and made progress in key areas. While the Build Back Better Act passed the House, it remains stalled in the Senate by unanimous Republican opposition.
“While 2021 was an incredibly difficult year for our democracy and our climate, it was a sea change from the Trump presidency,” said LCV Senior Director of Government Affairs Matthew Davis. “Our pro-environment, pro-democracy trifecta made strides toward an equitable clean energy future in 2021. Minnesota has clear champions for our environment and democracy, and others who are not delivering for their communities at a critical time. We see the last year as the foundation for accomplishing the transformational change we need in 2022. The Biden-Harris administration took bold steps towards tackling the interwoven climate and racial justice crises, the House passed the Build Back Better Act and democracy reforms, and now it’s up to the Senate to pass the transformational investments needed to combat the climate crisis and protect our democracy.”
The 2021 Scorecard includes 22 House votes, half of which were justice and democracy-related votes such as the vitally important voting rights bills. The 34 Senate votes include six justice and democracy votes. This reflects the need to safeguard the fundamentals of our governance from numerous federal judiciary and state and local policy attacks on our democracy and voting rights which primarily target people of color.
The full delegation’s scores for 2021 are:
Senator Amy Klobuchar – 100%
Senator Tina Smith – 100%
Representative Jim Hagedorn – 9%
Representative Angie Craig – 100%
Representative Dean Phillips – 100%
Representative Betty McCollum – 100%
Representative Ilhan Omar – 100%
Representative Tom Emmer – 22%
Representative Michelle Fischbach – 9%
Representative Pete Stauber – 22%
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 help distinguish which legislators are working for environmental protection. More information on individual votes and the Scorecard archive can be found at scorecard.lcv.org.