AUGUSTA, ME – Today, Maine Conservation Voters (MCV) released Maine’s federal delegation’s scores on the League of Conservation Voters’ (LCV) 2021 National Environmental Scorecard. 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.
2021 was an unprecedented year. We endured heightened federal attacks on the foundation of our democracy. Here in Maine, we continued to face the staggering costs of climate change, the losses from an ongoing global pandemic, and a reckoning with systemic racism and social injustice. The 2021 National Environmental Scorecard contains a historically high percentage of votes related to justice and democracy in both chambers to reflect these intersecting challenges.
“We are proud to have representatives here in Maine that will fight for our future alongside the Biden-Harris administration,” said MCV’s Director of Policy and Partnerships Kathleen Meil. “We applaud Sen. King and Rep. Pingree for their pro-climate and pro-democracy leadership and for standing up for the health of all Maine people and our environment.”
“Rep. Golden’s admirable score is encouraging news for the future of our climate and democracy,” continued Meil. “However, we remain disappointed that he voted against the administration’s transformational climate, justice, and jobs legislation last fall. We hope he reconsiders when the package returns to the House.”
“Sen. Collins’ poor score reflects her many votes in opposition to climate action, environmental justice, and the health of our democracy,” summarized Meil. “We know the work is still not done. Maine needs our entire delegation to work with the White House and their colleagues in Congress to pass vital voting rights protections and enact the House-passed $555 billion investments in climate, clean energy, and environmental justice into law.”
Pro-environment and pro-democracy leaders across both chambers and the White House undid much of the damage from the Trump administration and made progress in key areas. While the Build Back Better Act and vital democracy reforms passed the House, they remain stalled in the Senate by unanimous Republican opposition.
In the past 50 years, LCV has never felt it necessary to score the basic votes that uphold our country’s peaceful transfer of power and electoral outcomes. This year was different. With the unprecedented January 6 insurrection and so many attacks by Republican members of Congress on the fundamental tenets of our country’s governance, LCV scored these votes, in both chambers.
“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. Maine 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 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 Susan Collins – 56%
Senator Angus King – 100%
Representative Chellie Pingree – 100%
Representative Jared Golden – 91%
For more information on the history of the LCV National Environmental Scorecard:
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.