Digital Scorecard Gives Voters Easy Access to Legislators’ Voting Records on Clean Water, Climate Change, and Other Key Environmental Issues Addressed by the 2017-2018 Legislature
Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) released on Wednesday its 2018 Environmental Scorecard. The Scorecard is a tool developed by VCV to help Vermonters track legislators’ voting records on key environmental issues in the latest legislative biennium. It can be found at http://vermontconservationvoters.com/legislative-scorecard/.
“The legislative process can be hard to follow,” said Lauren Hierl, executive director of Vermont Conservation Voters. “Our Environmental Scorecard highlights the most significant environmental votes from the past legislative session, making it easier for Vermonters to find out where their legislators stand on key issues, and to determine whether their actions line up with their rhetoric.”
VCV's Scorecard enables viewers to find their legislators using an enhanced search feature, review legislative profiles and voting records, access concise bill descriptions, and directly contact their elected officials.
The votes included in this year’s Scorecard were issues highlighted in VCV’s annual Environmental Common Agenda of legislative priorities: a list of top-tier goals developed in collaboration with the state’s leading environmental groups. Major priorities in the 2017-2018 biennium included making progress on Vermont’s commitment to climate action and clean energy; holding toxic polluters accountable and reducing Vermonters’ exposure to harmful chemicals; securing long-term stable funding for clean water; and maintaining intact, healthy forests across the state.
The Legislature passed bills to protect Vermonters from toxic chemicals and hold polluters accountable, improve energy efficiency standards, and secure modest additional annual funding for clean water. It also invested in a study of economy-wide climate policies that the state will need to meet its climate and clean energy commitments.
Unfortunately, significant environmental progress was hampered by Governor Scott’s opposition to many of these priority issues, including threatened vetoes of long-term funding for clean water and key climate policies. Further, the Governor ultimately vetoed two VCV priority bills, one that aimed to reduce Vermont children’s exposure to toxic chemicals in kids’ products, and another that would have made polluters -- rather than impacted Vermonters or taxpayers -- foot the bill for increased medical screening expenses due to toxic contamination.
“Vermont is facing profound environmental challenges, from climate change to clean water to toxic contamination. VCV’s Scorecard helps Vermonters see which legislators are taking the tough votes needed to meet these challenges head on," said Hierl. “We hope this tool will help Vermonters hold their lawmakers accountable for whether or not they’re representing their environmental values at the State House.”
Source: Vermont Conservation Voters 9.26.2018. Vermont Conservation Voters is a statewide non-profit, non-partisan organization that has been working since 1982 to help elect pro-environment candidates, hold lawmakers accountable, and advocate for strong environmental laws.