Clyburn Earns Top Score On 2017 LCV Scorecard
The League of Conservation Voters today released the 2017 National Environmental Scorecard, the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of every member of Congress, and Congressman James Clyburn led the South Carolina delegation with a score of 83 percent.
View the scorecard now at scorecard.lcv.org. >>
Clyburn, who serves as the Assistant Minority Whip in the U.S. House, received his high score for casting a pro-conservation ballot 29 of 35 recorded votes. Clyburn received a score of 88 percent in the 114th Congress and has a lifetime score of 84 percent.
“As the federal government launched attack after attack on longstanding protections, Congressman Clyburn stood up to protect the South Carolina we love,” said CVSC Executive Director John Tynan. “It’s more crucial than ever that our representatives in Congress continue to work toward fulfilling our moral responsibility to protect our air, water, and keep South Carolinians healthy.
“Thank you, Congressman Clyburn, for leading by example.”
The 2017 Scorecard measures votes cast during the first session of the 115th Congress. In South Carolina, only Clyburn earned a score of 80 percent or greater.
Rep. Mark Sanford earned the next highest score, earning a 34 percent score for his votes to uphold a number of clean air, energy and water protections. He has a lifetime score of 27 percent.
“This Congress has inflicted lasting damage on our communities by reversing clean water protections, confirming industry favorites to key environmental posts, and opening up the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling,” said LCV Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “Our environmental champions are more important than ever as the administration’s hostility toward our communities continues to grow.”
The average House score for South Carolina was 17 percent and the average Senate score was 3 percent. The full delegation’s scores for 2017 are:
Senator Graham – 5 percent
Senator Scott – 0 percent
Rep. Sanford – 34 percent
Rep. Wilson – 0 percent
Rep. Duncan – 0 percent
Rep. Gowdy – 0 percent
Rep. Norman – 0 percent
Rep. Clyburn – 83 percent
Rep. Rice – 3 percent
LCV has published a National Environmental Scorecard every Congress since 1970. 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, climate change, public health, public lands and wildlife conservation, 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 or against conservation.
More information on individual votes and the Scorecard archive can be found at scorecard.lcv.org.