Conservation Report Card for the 113Th Congress
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2013 CONSERVATION REPORT CARD E VA LUAT I N G THE 113TH CONGRESS , 1ST SESSION efenders of Wildlife Action Fund educates the public about conservation issues and “Conservation is an generates grassroots efforts to ensure that American value, not a Dmembers of Congress and the president hear from constituents on pending legislation and regulations. Democratic or Republican Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund advocates in Washington, D.C., for legislation to safeguard one, and we’ll work with wildlife and habitat and fights efforts to undermine conservation laws, such as the landmark Endangered anyone, regardless of Species Act. The Action Fund also publishes the political affiliation, who Conservation Report Card to help citizens hold their legislators accountable by providing information on shares our commitment to how lawmakers voted on important conservation issues. An online version of the Conservation Report protecting our wildlife and Card, which contains detailed and updated informa- tion about key votes, is available on the Defenders of natural heritage for future Wildlife Action Fund website: www.defendersactionfund.org generations.” Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) —Jamie Rappaport Clark, organization with a segregated Section 527 account. President, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund © 2014 Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund 1130 17th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Cover Photo: Pacific Fisher John Jacobson / Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife www.defendersactionfund.org Printed on 100% post-consumer-waste, process-chlorine-free, recycled paper. NASA F OURTESY O OURTESY C Hurricane Sandy churns off the East Coast, October 28, 2012. IMAGE efenders of Wildlife Action Fund’s 2013 Southwest, and to undermine the enforcement of Conservation Report Card measures the the Clean Water Act. D the commitment of U.S. senators and The report card also summarizes 11 votes by representatives to wildlife and habitat conservation the House of Representatives, which continued during the first session of the113th Congress. its multi-year full assault on the environment. At a glance, it tells you how well your elected Despite the single bright spot of joining with representatives are safeguarding our natural heritage the Senate to provide unprecedented funding to for our children and grandchildren. better prepare for the types of natural resource The 2013 report card reviews four Senate impacts expected from climate change, the House votes, including one that provided an consistently voted down conservation proposals unprecedented level of funding for the restoration while approving measures that would threaten and enhancement of natural systems to build wildlife and natural resources. resilience against natural disasters like Hurricane The Houses’s anti-environment actions included Sandy, which are likely to increase in frequency approving measures that would slash funding for and intensity due to climate change. Other Senate the recovery of a national wildlife refuge impacted votes concern efforts to endorse construction of by Hurricane Sandy, expand offshore drilling and the environmentally destructive Keystone XL destroy national forests through excessive logging. pipeline, to require installation of additional For a more detailed summary of the 2013 votes, damaging walls along our borders in the visit our website: www.defendersactionfund.org. VOTE + VOTED WITH US NA NOT IN OffICE - VOTED AGAINST US 100% AlwAYS VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION GUIDE P VOTED PRESENT 0% NEVER VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION NV DID NOT VOTE 1 Funding Restoration and Enhancement of SENATE Natural Systems to Build Resilience 2 Endorsing Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline KEY ISSUES & VOTES 3 Undermining Enforcement of the Clean Water Act 4 Damaging Borderland Wildlife and Habitat 1 Funding Restoration and Enhancement 1 2 3 4 SCORE of Natural Systems to Build Resilience ALABAMA The Senate passed a bill that would provide Richard C. Shelby R + - - NV 33% emergency funding for repair and restoration of Jeff Sessions R - - - - 0% public lands and habitat damaged by Hurricane ALASKA Sandy and for restoring and enhancing natural Lisa A. Murkowski R + - NV + 67% systems to build resilience against future Mark Begich D + - - + 50% disasters. (January 28, 2013, Roll Call No. 4) ARIZONA John McCain R - - - + 25% 2 Endorsing Construction of the Keystone Jeff Flake R - - - + 25% XL Pipeline ARKANSAS The Senate adopted an amendment that Mark L. Pryor D + - - - 25% would endorse approval and construction of John N. Boozman R - - - - 0% the environmentally destructive Keystone XL CALIFORNIA pipeline. (March 22, 2013, Roll Call No. 61) Dianne Feinstein D + + + NV 100% Barbara Boxer D + + + + 100% 3 Undermining Enforcement of the Clean Water Act COLORADO The Senate rejected an amendment that would have Mark Udall D + + + + 100% prevented the Army Corps of Engineers and the Michael Bennet D + - + + 75% Environmental Protection Agency from clarifying CONNECTICUT the types of water bodies protected by the Clean Richard Blumenthal D + + + + 100% Water Act. (May 14, 2013, Roll Call No. 119) Christopher S. Murphy D + + + + 100% DELAWARE Thomas R. Carper D + - + + 75% 4 Damaging Borderland Wildlife and Habitat Christopher Coons D + - + + 75% The Senate rejected an amendment that would FLORIDA have required the construction of hundreds Bill Nelson D + - NV + 67% more miles of walls along on the Southwest border. (June 18, 2013, Roll Call No. 151) Marco Rubio R - - - + 25% GEORGIA Saxby Chambliss R - - - - 0% Johnny Isakson R - - - - 0% 4 Conservation Report Card 2013 defendersactionfund.org 5 + VOTED WITH US NA NOT IN OffICE + VOTED WITH US NA NOT IN OffICE - VOTED AGAINST US 100% AlwAYS VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION - VOTED AGAINST US 100% AlwAYS VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION P VOTED PRESENT 0% NEVER VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION P VOTED PRESENT 0% NEVER VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION NV DID NOT VOTE NV DID NOT VOTE 1 Funding Restoration and Enhancement of Natural 1 Funding Restoration and Enhancement of Natural VOTES Systems to Build Resilience Systems to Build Resilience 2 Endorsing Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline 2 Endorsing Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline 3 Undermining Enforcement of the Clean Water Act 3 Undermining Enforcement of the Clean Water Act 4 Damaging Borderland Wildlife and Habitat 4 Damaging Borderland Wildlife and Habitat KEY SENATE 1 2 3 4 SCORE 1 2 3 4 SCORE HAWAII MASSACHUSETTS Brian Schatz D + + + + 100% Elizabeth Warren D + + + + 100% Mazie K. Hirono D + + + + 100% Mo Cowan D NA + + + 100% John Kerry D + NA NA NA Incomplete* IDAHO Edward J. Markey D NA NA NA NA Incomplete Michael D. Crapo R - - - - 0% MICHIGAN James E. Risch R - - - - 0% Carl Levin D + + + + 100% ILLINOIS Debbie Stabenow D + + + + 100% Richard J. Durbin D + + + + 100% MINNESOTA Mark Steven Kirk R - - - - 0% Amy Klobuchar D + + + + 100% INDIANA Al Franken D + + + + 100% Dan Coats R - - - - 0% MISSISSIPPI Joseph Donnelly D + - - + 50% Thad Cochran R + - - NV 33% Roger F. Wicker R + - - NV 33% IOWA MISSOURI Charles E. Grassley R - - - - 0% Claire McCaskill D + - - + 50% Tom Harkin D + + + NV 100% Roy Blunt R - - - - 0% KANSAS MONTANA Pat Roberts R - - - - 0% Max Baucus D + - + + 75% Jerry Moran R - - - - 0% Jon Tester D + - + + 75% KENTUCKY NEBRASKA Mitch McConnell R - - - - 0% Mike Johanns R - - - - 0% Rand Paul R - - - - 0% Deb Fischer R - - - - 0% LOUISIANA NEVADA Harry Reid D + + + + 100% Mary L. Landrieu D + - - + 50% Dean Heller R + - - - 25% David Vitter R + - - - 25% NEW HAMPSHIRE MAINE Jeanne Shaheen D + + + + 100% Susan M. Collins R + - - - 25% Kelly Ayotte R - - - - 0% Angus King I NV + + + 100% NEW JERSEY MARYLAND Robert Menendez D + + + + 100% Barbara A. Mikulski D + + + NV 100% Jeffrey Chiesa R NA NA NA - Incomplete* Benjamin L. Cardin D + + + + 100% Frank Lautenberg D + NV NV NA Incomplete* Cory A. Booker D NA NA NA NA Incomplete *Missed more than 25% of key votes eligible to cast. 6 Conservation Report Card 2013 defendersactionfund.org 7 + VOTED WITH US NA NOT IN OffICE + VOTED WITH US NA NOT IN OffICE - VOTED AGAINST US 100% AlwAYS VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION - VOTED AGAINST US 100% AlwAYS VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION P VOTED PRESENT 0% NEVER VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION P VOTED PRESENT 0% NEVER VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION NV DID NOT VOTE NV DID NOT VOTE 1 Funding Restoration and Enhancement of Natural 1 Funding Restoration and Enhancement of Natural VOTES Systems to Build Resilience Systems to Build Resilience 2 Endorsing Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline 2 Endorsing Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline 3 Undermining Enforcement of the Clean Water Act 3 Undermining Enforcement of the Clean Water Act 4 Damaging Borderland Wildlife and Habitat 4 Damaging Borderland Wildlife and Habitat KEY SENATE 1 2 3 4 SCORE 1 2 3 4 SCORE NEW MEXICO SOUTH DAKOTA Tom Udall D + + + + 100% Tim P. Johnson D + - + + 75% Martin T. Heinrich D + + + + 100% John Thune R - - - - 0% NEW YORK TENNESSEE Charles E. Schumer D + + + + 100% Lamar Alexander R + - - - 25% Kirsten E. Gillibrand D + + + + 100% Bob Corker R - - - - 0% NORTH CAROLINA TEXAS Richard Burr R - - - - 0% John Cornyn R - - - - 0% Kay R. Hagan D + - - + 50% Ted Cruz R - - - - 0% NORTH DAKOTA UTAH John Hoeven R + - - - 25% Orrin G. Hatch R - - - - 0% Heidi Heitkamp D + - - + 50% Michael Lee R - - - - 0% OHIO VERMONT Sherrod Brown D + + + + 100% Patrick J. Leahy D + + + + 100% Rob Portman R - - - - 0% Bernard Sanders I + + + + 100% OKLAHOMA VIRGINIA James M. Inhofe R - - - NV 0% Mark Warner D + - + + 75% Thomas A. Coburn R - - - - 0% Tim Kaine