League of Conservation Voters Releases National Scorecard for Wisconsin’s Delegation
Mar 02, 2022
MADISON – Today, Wisconsin Conservation Voters’ national affiliate League of Conservation Voters released the Wisconsin delegation’s scores on the 2021 National Environmental Scorecard highlighting how some members chose to champion the environment and protect our democracy, while others failed to do so.
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 and in Wisconsin we continue to face the staggering costs of climate change, the losses from an ongoing global pandemic, and a systematic assault on our freedom to vote. The 2021 National Environmental Scorecard had a historically high percentage of votes related to justice and democracy in both chambers, reflecting these intersecting challenges. Those critical democracy-related votes combined with the record number of diverse Biden nominees resulted in a record number of scored votes in the Senate.
Executive Director Kerry Schumann had this to say about Wisconsin’s delegation:
“We are proud to have representatives that will fight for our future alongside this administration. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Reps. Ron Kind, Gwen Moore, and Mark Pocan have stood up for Wisconsin’s health and our environment. But Sen. Ron Johnson and Reps. Bryan Steil, Scott Fitzgerald, Glenn Grothman, Tom Tiffany, and Mike Gallagher continue to side with corporate polluters over Wisconsin’s health and environment, and have refused to protect our right to vote at a critical moment for the country. We know the work is still not done – the future of our planet and our democracy are at stake. Wisconsin needs our delegation to work with the White House and their colleagues in Congress to pass the Build Back Better Agenda and vital voting rights protections, now.”
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.
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 Wisconsin delegation’s scores for 2021 are:
Sen. Tammy Baldwin - 100 percent
Sen. Ron Johnson - 24 percent
Rep. Bryan Steil - 22 percent
Rep. Mark Pocan - 100 percent
Rep. Ron Kind - 100 percent
Rep. Gwen Moore - 100 percent
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald- 4 percent
Rep. Glenn Grothman - 13 percent
Rep. Tom Tiffany - 4 percent
Rep. Mike Gallagher - 23 percent
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.
For more information
Contact Ryan Billingham, Communications Director, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, 608-208-1129 (office), 608-213-6972 (mobile/text), or ryan@conservationvoters.org